


Helltaker: An Unknown Environment

by Radeonix



Category: Helltaker (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Continuation, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Novella, Romance, Slice of Life, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:41:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25229278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radeonix/pseuds/Radeonix
Summary: A continuation of Helltaker, building upon canon characters to add more depth and to experience more interaction from the characters. Many small moments and quips as well as an inserted OC to fill in plotholes and for extra fun. Experience a slice of life where demon-girls, some more innocent than others, live together with two roommates whose motives leave much to be discovered. Danger lurks in the world for unsuspecting demons and friends alike as this ill-functioning harem will soon discover. OC x Modeus, Helltaker AU.
Relationships: Modeus/OC (Vandrem)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 42





	1. A Hellish Heist

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on this website so if there are any mistakes in posting/rating do be sure to let me know. 
> 
> I created this story for fun but it quickly formed into a proper plotline and I'm now emotionally attached to the characters.
> 
> Be ready for the feels and don't be afraid to leave a comment or review on what you think! Also, this story assumes you have played the game so that I don't have to re-explain everything.
> 
> The first chapter is essentially a refresher and to introduce the OC, it may be a bit of a trudge at first but I promise it is worth it. 
> 
> Every little bit helps :)

The Helltaker had left days ago. I'd made a joke about calling him that over the comms and he'd just shrugged it off whilst noting how it wouldn't stick. I had a feeling it would though.

He brought my blood with him, successfully bribing the Hell-guard. Demons can have oddly specific tastes and when we'd went to question one of them for entry into hell, he couldn't take his eyes off me. I thought he'd been having sexual thoughts before he admitted that my blood smelled sweeter than any other asking for hell; "it was almost to the point of intoxication," he mentioned. So instead of threatening or breaking in, we simply bribed him. It took two litres of my blood and I was sickly pale as I sank in my chair but it had worked nonetheless.

The demon had scurried off, after using a portion of the blood to activate the Hellgate and let Helltaker in. I convinced him, against his will, to put in an earpiece so we could communicate while he was down there. It took some time and some tinkering but we got it to hopefully work within hell.

Our home was rather spacious and definitely had enough space to house a few demons, but I'm not sure how many. In fact, I'm not sure this is even possible. I'd only learnt Hell existed a month ago as well as my friend. We'd met years ago, a bit of a longer story and we'll explain it eventually, but now's not that time.

Now, it is time to make a demon harem.

The Taker was rather surprised going into hell, monologuing to himself about the way it looked. It was hard to tell if he was just filling me in or enjoying the scenery. It took a few hours, but he was into hell. He was even humming the tune that regularly played, although I couldn't hear it.

I was at home, listening in to him and talking whenever he needed it. We'd agreed to not tell any of the demons about my existence, instead of letting me advise the Taker so they'd believe more in his style. To be honest, he didn't really need much advice other than the puzzles which I was always good at.

I kept a lot of water nearby and ordered food often over the next few days. Time seemed to move a little slower within hell and it made communication awkward at times but we made due. He met several girls and made some close calls in recruiting them, which I promptly helped. I listened, amused, to the advice they gave him and the side conversations.

The first one was Pandemonica and I was rather surprised Hell even had customer service. I was also surprised that she was so easily won over by a simple cup of coffee. I thought of the refreshing liquid and motioned to stand and grab one.

My head rushed and my feet faltered as I fell back into my chair. I was nauseous and close to vomiting as the Helltaker tapped on his earpiece, I could hear the static banging. I cleared my throat and told him, "I'm alright, just a hit of nausea. Focus on your mission, I'll be okay." I smirked and added, "glad to see you care about me though."

I could picture the large man rolling his eyes as he hummed "mhmm."

I wasn't built like him, he was tall and muscular like a bodybuilder but it was mostly his natural physique. I wasn't small by any means, taller than the average person as well as being toned and fit but nowhere near his muscle. To be honest, I liked the way I look. I thought there was definitely such thing as too much muscle but I never said that to the man.

We were roommates and he was a damned good one. Technically, I am his landlord. Although, he's such a good friend and a close companion that I call him my roommate anyways.

Taking a moment to clear my head and ensure nausea didn't return, I studied my room. It was slowly becoming a mess with littered bottles of water and boxes of food. Nausea licked at my senses as I gazed at the half-eaten Chinese food in front of me as I pushed it away.

My room wasn't all that decorated. Sure, it had some oddities on the walls like a dreamcatcher above the bed and a couple of posters, but nothing of any real interest. The only light came from the epicentre of the lamp beside my bed since the main light in my room never worked--something about faulty wiring.

The desk I always kept in my room, mostly to claim it and the computer as my own. Privacy was always a delicacy of mine that I often enjoyed which is why my door cuts almost all the sound from the hallway whenever it was closed.

Most of our furniture was cheap when we bought it and assembled it, not wanting to spend thousands to flourish up some pieces of wood that were functionally the same. However, I did have a nice leather office chair because this is where I spent most of my time, browsing the internet.

Turning back to the computer, I readjusted my headset and continued listening to the conversations, not wanting to miss anything crucial.

It took another couple days as Helltaker went through, solving different puzzles and bashing skeletons against walls. I had to help him with a demon named Modeus, somehow knowing exactly what not to say. He barely stopped himself from agreeing to her offer but I knew it could result in his death and I stopped him just in the nick of time. Instead, he offered her the harem and she agreed, wanting to see him be torn to shreds.

I could hear the Helltaker gulp nervously but that could have been my own gulp of fear. To be honest, I had little intention of sleeping with any of these women. I knew how deadly they were, for crying out loud they are _demons_.

However, my curiosity peaked and I couldn't resist the urge of a heist. This kind of job, however, is far outside of my expertise. We are flying by the seat of our pants at the moment.

I was feeling better, having had several days to slowly recover. I made sure to take four-hour sleep breaks, not wanting to risk a full eight hours. With the way time seemed to slow in Hell, it allowed me to have some peace of mind that the Taker would be alright.

Eventually, the man reached what looked like an office. He promptly skipped the line and I heard him confronting Lucifer.

I had a video playing on my phone but I turned it off as the mission got suddenly more interesting. I guided him on a couple of responses, but he naturally handled others.

Helltaker was a proud man and his confidence often seemed surging due to his massive size. However, he was bright and knew when to hold his tongue and he was not immune to fear. After many of the encounters, I could hear him let out a breath of relief. He could handle himself but was a little brash in the more sensitive needs or topics.

That's where I come in. The man wasn't much of a smooth talker and most of his compliments came off with the same vibe of a cringy pick-up line. However, I was stumped by what we could offer for Lucifer exclusively. I hastily offered Helltaker, "you do make really good pancakes. I doubt demons can get many sweet things from the hellfire. Mostly spice down there I'd imagine."

I could tell he was iffy about the offer but followed the recommendation due to a lack of other ideas. I could hear the air silence as Lucifer asked him if that's all he's got. I let out a sigh of relief as she admitted that she's got a thing for pancakes.

Lucifer joined with him and he ventured to the last puzzle and the gate out of hell was within his grasp. This one took a couple of tries and he managed to describe it nonchalantly and I sketched it down. After ten minutes of trial and error as Helltaker worked purposefully slowly, I solved it and told him explicitly what moves to make. I could hear his exertion as he battered the rocks, not wanting to imagine how heavy they must be.

I flexed my legs, standing up to stretch and I did so without too much strain. I was getting stronger by the day and was making sure to stay excessively hydrated.

Then he got to the gate. He opened it as a new voice rang out. I called out to him but he was unable to answer. Shortly afterwards I heard the movement of what sounded like chains followed by screams of agony.

Luckily his earpiece stayed in and his voice froze but I could still hear the burning. I slammed the desk and called out to the Taker again but he was unable to answer. It was the next day when he'd been able to respond. I'd had to sleep but I was awoken by the sound of burning subsiding. I wiped my eyes and my head shot up, I'd fallen asleep at the desk. Scrambling to put the headset back on, I heard another feminine voice calling out to him to not die on her yet.

I frowned, knowing this must be one of Hell's torturers.

I heard my friend groan in pain as he fell to the ground, presumably free of the chains. I whispered to him calmly even though my mind panicked, "come on, get up! We've still got a harem to build! One last trial and you're home free."

He struggled to his feet and his breathing was heavy, he was clearly injured. I prayed silently for his safety, wondering if it were a sin to pray for this cause.

I don't know what puzzle he was solving but he had no time to explain as he dashed around, his breath heavy and faltering.

I heard her talk to him again, speaking of futility and uselessness. I recommended, "compliment the hell out of her."

He whispered with exasperation, "what?! She won't buy that."

I frowned, knowing he could be right. I reasoned, "possibly not, but still possibly. At the least, it may decrease your punishment."

"Fine. Compliment what?"

I smiled, having prepared for a more deadly foe. I thought as I listed, "first off, talk her outfit if she's the flashy kinda gal. Compliment her hair, eyes, and anything she may be flaunting. Nothing sexual, not to her, not yet at least. Last of all be honest, don't lie to her. She'll know."

The Taker groaned, unsure of how this will work but he attempted it anyway.

Surprisingly, I heard him sigh with relief. Unfortunately, she got back to tormenting him but he managed to mutter, "this might work."

I nodded and leaned back slightly with a sigh. I knew he had his task set out and there wasn't much more I could do.

Eventually, she stopped and her voice lowered from a shout after some more compliments. She admitted to not wanting to do this to him. Luckily, she offered to suspend his suffering for a couple of years if need be. That's when he offered it, the harem. I couldn't hear her and I assume she froze or refused to answer.

Holding my breath, I heard her describe herself as an immortal avatar of pain, blood-sworn to murder him through torture. Many of the girls defended him, to my surprise. I let Helltaker take this one as he told her he wouldn't have it any other way.

She was shocked by his remark. After a moment she admitted that she may as well give it a shot and joined him.

I stood up from my desk exclaiming with pride, "yes! You're home free baby!"

I could almost see him smirking as the girls guided him back to the exit.

After another few hours when the sun had come up, the Helltaker made his way through the Hellgate he'd come in and was yet again on earth with the living. He let out a sigh and the girls all followed him out, exclaiming surprise as to how everything looked.

He stretched, or at least I assume he did, as he tapped the earpiece. He spoke to me directly for the first time he'd been able to as he spoke simply, "we're coming home."

After that, he removed the earpiece and turned it off. I pushed myself away from the desk, leaning back into the chair with relief, he was alive. This demon girl harem was going to be a real thing and I was excited more than anything.

For now, I needed to clean up. I'd been so busy with Taker that I'd been neglecting to clean the house. I frantically did so as I washed dishes, took out the trash and other oddities. I took a quick shower, making sure to wash my hair decently as it had become quite greased. I blow-dried it and made myself presentable in a grey suit and purple tie as well as a purple shirt. I'd always enjoyed the aesthetic and the different shades. I figured my first meeting with these ladies may as well be proper and formal.

I wasn't sure of how they were dressed, but Helltaker had managed to say "sharply dressed" without getting suspicious so I assumed suits. To be honest, that's surprising. I imagined the demons to be... well... more demon-like. I was curious as to what demon girls looked like as I brushed the wrinkles out of my sleeves.

Helltaker had taken me out for tailoring about a year ago, being more so inclined with how to properly dress and he did so often, enjoying formality.

Everything was cleaned as I sat down on the couch nervously. I felt myself sweating slightly as I picked up a napkin to wipe my forehead. I was anxious, hoping the demons wouldn't kill me upon seeing me once they realized that Taker wasn't the sole mastermind of the operation. I laid out a couple of drinks and snacks as well as getting coffee ready to brew.

I sat back down, trying to think of tasks to keep myself busy. I looked around, deciding to light a couple scented candles to rosy up the living room. Taker's room was a mess and I steered clear, it wasn't my responsibility and we valued privacy.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard a car pull into the driveway outside. I looked out the blinds nervously as I recognized the van that Helltaker drove. It always made him seem more like a dad despite never having children and I constantly prodded him about it. However, it came useful more times than not as all the girls barely fit into it. Although I doubted they opted to use seatbelts so cramming was definitely an option.

I heard the kettle boiling and I cursed, having to move away from the window. I hustled to the kitchen, pulling the kettle off the burner and putting it to the side to stay hot. That's when I heard the door open followed by a swarm of voices.

So, this was it.

It was time to meet the demons.


	2. Timely Greetings

It was difficult to discern anyone's voice over the congealed sounds but the majority was obviously female and my heart jumped. I didn't know how to act, I didn't even intend to treat them like harem girls, just regular women. I'd never even been to a harem or really been with many women in general.

_Should I shake their hands?_

_No that's stupid._

_Just a simple greeting. Maybe a smooth hello or literally anything non-threatening._

I felt too innocent and fear sparked deep inside me. I kept my cool as I turned off the stove and dusted myself off. I heard Helltaker's voice ring out above the noise, "this is the place."

"I was expecting more. Is the kitchen at least supplied?" An unknown eloquent voice responded to him. I picked out a mug to begin preparing a coffee. It was my favourite mug and it oddly felt like I was honouring the guests by allowing them to use it.

"Kitchen?!" Three voices rang out but intermingled, although the voice sounded the exact same.

Footsteps pattered and suddenly three girls, all looking the exact same with the exact same clothes all barrelled around the corner and into the kitchen. They wore black and red, dressed sharply as Helltaker had suggested. They had small cute faces and I couldn't help but notice the fluffy ears that rose realistically out of my head. It didn't fully click immediately that they were real ears.

I jumped in fear as they slid to a stop in surprise, their eyes all looking at me.

I accidentally dropped my mug in fright, hearing it shatter across the ground as I tried to grab it before it hit. I looked back up slowly as the girls all held each other in fright at the loud noise. I looked up to them in equal fright as everything fell silent. The eloquent voice rang out again scolding, "Cerberus! Don't go breaking everything right away!"

The girls took a step back. The middle one called back whilst the other two clung their arms around her, barring their teeth at me, "it wasn't us!"

I held my hands near my chest and took a step away from them as my words choked in my throat. I noticed their arrow-tipped tails as well as razor-sharp teeth. They looked much different than I imagined, much more normal.

As I took a step, they all turned as one and darted around the corner at the movement, hiding and poking their heads around to look at me timidly. Other footsteps began approaching and my fear rose. I cleared my throat and gingerly approached the corner, preparing to meet everyone. I breathed and prepared for the worst as I got close.

One girl stepped around the corner first, her head popping into view and then her entire body. I hadn't expected to see more black and red yet alone such a pretty form. I scanned her for a split second as I took note of her red leggings, black pencil skirt, blazer and a red turtleneck sweater. Her hands were slightly covered by the sleeves and she had small red hearts floating around her head. Her eyes drew me in as they shone with a brilliant white light amongst her red irises.

She froze in her tracks as she studied me the same, not expecting someone else to be here. Her eyes centered on mine and her hands hovered tenderly above her chest as she pulled her sleeves up. I couldn't help but mutter, "woah..."

Her mouth hung ever so slightly open and I caught myself before I stared for too long. I straightened my back and rubbed my head nervously. I looked away at the wall for a second, taking control of my emotions before looking back. She still stared curiously as I noticed another heart pop into existence around her head. I stepped gently towards her as she stood still, taking a wide berth as Cerberus growled at me.

I asked, my voice feeling smoother and more controlled than I was expecting, "you must be Modeus, yes?"

The girl nodded slowly then asked, "how'd you know that?"

I adjusted my tie and looked for my words as the rest of everyone appeared around the corner as they heard my voice. They all, excluding Helltaker, looked surprised at my existence. Cerberus, noticing the calmness of everyone else, retreated backwards but kept their ears down.

I struggled to respond and thankfully Helltaker helped me out, "this is Vandrem, he's the one who orchestrated half of this."

I nodded to him as my mouth went dry and my head started swimming. I saw stars and stumbled to the side for a moment, regaining my footing. I tried to focus my eyes but they refused as Taker came to my side, supporting me gently. He whispered, "you've been stressing and haven't hydrated in hours, haven't you?"

I grinned at him sarcastically, "see? I knew you cared."

This time I saw him roll his eyes as he guided me forward and to the far couch. He sat me down and I sighed with relief and leaned my head back with closed eyes. He tapped my shoulder and handed me a bottle of water that had been beside me. I thanked him subconsciously and sipped it, feeling it temporarily fix the dryness.

I suddenly remembered the situation and I sat forward to see all eyes centered on me. There were eleven women plus Taker looking at me, all with different expressions. Oddly, Lucifer pulled the Cerberus girls back and kept them intentionally behind her protectively.

I was surprised to see Modeus sit tenderly beside me, staring at my face. There was something in her eyes, she was searching. I'm not sure what she was searching for, but she was searching my pupils intently nonetheless.

The eloquent voice spoke and I matched it to the lips moving as one girl motioned, " _this_ guy was half of your journey? You did all the work!"

One of the other girls, the one wearing shades mentioned, "that's totally something I would do." 

The eloquent woman frowned, "of course you would."

Helltaker cleared his throat and was about to speak but I held up a hand. He raised an eyebrow but let me talk as I cleared my throat respectfully. I held out my hand to Taker, "your earpiece if you will."

He obliged, placing the earbud into my hand as everyone glanced curiously. "transdimensional communication device. This little guy let me tell Helltaker what to say when he needed it and help with a couple of the puzzles." I raised an eyebrow asking, "why was the floor before the gate so much harder than the others anyway?"

The lead woman crossed her arms as the gauntlet-bearing lady answered, " _to inspire fear into the hearts of those who enter into_ ** _my_** _domain!"_

I raised an eyebrow at the proud woman, who I had to keep my eyes away from her exposed skin, as everyone else looked at her. She lowered her arms with disappointment as I asked casually, "I know that voice. Judgement, right?"

She crossed her arms across her body and nodded with defeat.

The eloquent woman looked at me and I could tell she was looking down at me. I straightened my back and held a smirk, "what? You don't really believe this guy was doing _all_ the smooth-talking, do you?"

Helltaker scoffed and sat down in his favourite armchair. However, he did admit, "alright, _once or twice_ I needed your help."

I glared at him jokingly as he rolled his eyes and couldn't stop himself from letting the corners of his lips curl in a smile, "alright, I needed help half the time."

I nodded politely to him as silence fell again. I could tell they were starting to respect me as I glanced over at them. Before any more could speak, I continued, "don't tell me anyone's names, I want to see how accurate I can be."

I looked to the main woman, "you've got an air of superiority around you and I know that kind of voice. You've got to be the one and only Lucifer. It's an honour to meet such a popular figure."

The woman was surprised, but straightened her stature and held her chin high, "honoured as you should be."

I bowed my head slightly, careful not to move too quickly. I glanced slightly at Modeus, careful not to get drawn in by her gorgeous pupils as I mentioned, "I've already met the dear Modeus." I looked for an extra second as her head tilted, staring into my eyes intently. I cleared my throat as Cerberus shuffled nervously, hiding from behind Lucifer as they stared at me apprehensively. I apologized, "I'm very sorry for the scare Cerberus, I wasn't expecting the three of you to approach so suddenly. That broken mug is on me."

Cerberus stepped forward as one as the left girl cried, "no!" I raised an eyebrow curiously and I had to keep my fear wrestled down as they ventured closer. The right girl spoke as they wiped their hands nervously on each other. I noticed their ears were down more so in shame than aggressiveness now, "we did a bad thing..."

Lucifer's eyes widened in shock at Cerberus' words and she looked away to hide her face as she closed her eyes with a frown.

The middle girl finished it off as they looked down, their eyes pointed up at me as they stood timidly and scrunched together, "can we fix our bad thing?"

I opened my mouth in surprise, not sure what to say. I tilted my head, "it's alright, I'll just grab the broom from beside the fridge later and-"

"Broom beside the fridge!" One girl cried out in excitement as another spouted, "on it!"

They all scurried off excitedly into the kitchen, one of the girls stepping onto the broken glass and making more of a mess. I motioned to call out to them but it was too late by now. I slowly turned back and shook my head and I noticed a smile from Lucifer as she tried not to chuckle. I raised an eyebrow but cleared my throat and turned to the others.

I centered on the girl with shades saying, "nice touch with the jacket just around the shoulders, Justice, very badass." The girl perked up at her name and brushed off her jacket with one hand as her other sat atop her hip.

She pointed a finger gun, although it was slightly to the side as she responded, "thanks, dude, wove it into existence myself."

I nodded curiously and shifted my sights to a woman with a clipboard. I decided to begin breezing through and not wasting more time, "Pandemonica, you'll be getting a coffee soon enough." The woman simply nodded happily and adjusted her glasses. I gestured to two of the girls standing beside each other but froze, unsure of who was who for the first time.

One of them rolled her eyes and crossed her arms muttering, "come _on._ We don't look _that_ alike."

I nodded with recognition and responded, "I agree with you, Malina. Zdrada doesn't look anything like you."

I noticed Zbrada bump Malina's shoulder stating, "hey!"

Malina glared back, "what? Sorry that I don't want to look like a smoke factory!"

I cleared my throat and they looked back to me before the argument got any further. I averted my gaze nervously as I was about to call out to the last individual here but she spoke before me, "then you must know me as Azazel, assuming you used deductive qualities to eliminate the names."

I nodded and was impressed and agreed. Lucifer put her arms down and asked in annoyance, "okay, that's enough! Modeus what are you doing?!"

I looked to the side to see Modeus leaning towards me, her eyes only an inch away from mine and I couldn't help but just stare into them. The woman backed away with a fluster and leaned upwards slightly to curve more of her body. I didn't look down, only searching her eyes as she studied me intently. She muttered flatly, "he's different..."

Azazel spoke innocently, "of course he is." We all looked to her curiously, except for Modeus. She continued with embarrassment, "you all can't tell?" She gestured towards me saying, "he's sinless."

Silence fell and all we could hear was Cerberus cleaning up the broken mug. I blurted out in surprise, "what?! Sinless?!"

Even Helltaker leaned forward in surprise, his jaw dropped slightly. He shook his head, "there's no way he's innocent. I only met him because he's a criminal!"

I looked nervously to Lucifer as she stared at me, "no... Azazel is right... this man is headed to heaven. Tell me, what crime is it you committed?"

I looked around at the accusing glares and held up my hands to surrender. The only friendly gaze was from Modeus as she continued to stare, her gaze unaffected by the information. I stumbled but caught my voice, "my biggest crime was hacking into a bank's servers."

Lucifer pursed her lips, "bank robbery? You'll be sent to greed then, why are you heaven-bound if you're full of greed!"

Azazel stepped forward with a finger pointed upwards as she stated, "admission to heaven is not granted just by being law-abiding. If someone breaks the law in order to do the _right_ thing, then they will be cleansed of that particular sin."

Judgement crossed her arms frustratedly asking, "alright... so what's the reasoning then? Why'd you steal the money?"

I stuttered, "I-I didn't steal any money! I just erased records of people's student loan debts!"

They all froze and recoiled slightly in surprise as Helltaker just smiled. He picked up the conversation to help me, "oh yeah, that's how I found him. One day my bank called me to inform me that I'd incorrectly sent them money and I found my loans had suddenly been erased, I was debt-free. I found this guy a few days after by coincidence in a cafe and I've known him ever since."

They all slowly looked back to me as I shrank further back with a smile, unsure if this was good or not. Azazel approved whereas a couple of the others were just amused. Justice was the one that spoke first, "respect, man, I would have killed to have my debts erased."

Lucifer was the only one who reacted by turning and glaring at the woman accusingly.

Justice either didn't see her or just ignored her, I couldn't tell which one.

I nodded my thanks but I don't know if the shades-wearing demon saw it or not. Before I could speak though, Modeus cut me off, "it's not that, but it does explain the sweet smell."

I tilted my head curiously asking, "that's what the sweet smell is? You're telling me I gave that demon two litres of my blood purely because I'm sin-free?"

Helltaker just shrugged and leaned into his chair as Lucifer glared at me, "Is that how you got in?!"

I shrugged with a smirk but froze when a hand tenderly caressed my cheek. I let it turn my head and I was suddenly looking back into Modeus' eyes. She tilted her head and I couldn't help but follow the motion, sinking into her hand slightly. She muttered, "why don't you stare at me like everyone else? There's something different about your gaze..."

I didn't know how to respond as she leaned back, her hand staying on my cheek before retreating and lying tenderly on her chest. She pushed her chest out and arched her back as she kneeled with her legs crossed under her. I barely noticed as I sunk into her gaze, noticing another heart appear around her head as I stared into her starry eyes.

The white glow emanating from her heart-shaped pupils was like a soft spotlight that threw a lasso onto my gaze and dragged me in.

She whispered, "you're just looking at my eyes. You know how to look deeper and into the soul... you're looking at my emotions, my personality, who I truly am. No man who enters hell has ever cared about that."

I blushed heavily as I looked away, rubbing the back of my head nervously. I stammered and my blush grew heavier as Helltaker grinned at me. I waved my hand to him as I glared, "not a damn word out of you."

I cleared my throat nervously as I looked back to Modeus as she looked up to me curiously. I noticed she'd brought her chest back down and rested as I whispered, "I just think that... you've... got really pretty eyes."

This time Modeus blushed and covered half her mouth with one hand and another heart popped into existence and they swirled around her more vibrantly. She muttered as her own blush grew, "no one's ever said that... thank you." She turned her head slightly and glanced away for a second but I couldn't take my eyes off her cute body language. She glanced back to me and I smiled gently to her, not knowing what else to say.

"Alright," Zbrada announced, me and Modeus looking over suddenly. In front of us stood all very confused faces, although I'm not entirely sure why. I felt my own blush grow as the smoker moved, "I'm going to ignore whatever the hell that was and explore upstairs."

Justice slumped down into a nearby dining table chair and laid her arms out with a sigh.

We all heard Cerberus dropping shards of the mug as they rushed in their excitement. Lucifer rubbed her eyes and asked Modeus kindly, "dear, would you help out Cerberus?"

Modeus glanced at me again with a glint in her eye but looked to Lucifer with a curt nod. She gently stood up and began making elegant strides towards the kitchen. I made sure not to let my gaze drift and I felt more awkward than anything. She disappeared into the kitchen as Helltaker got up to follow Zbrada and make sure she doesn't touch his stuff. I was left with the other demons as they all looked around curiously, all except for Malina.

The sour demon strode up to me and gripped my shoulder with cold fingers. "I'm seeing the way she's looking at me and I _definitely_ see the way you're looking at her. I don't know your intentions but be damned sure that I will break every bone in your body if you hurt her," the woman threatened. I gulped and gave a series of fervent nods. She relaxed, seeing the honesty in my eyes as she sighed. She shrugged her shoulders and asked, her voice much calmer but not much kinder, "you got any video games?"

I cleared my throat and gestured to the stairs, "uh, yeah. There's a console upstairs and a PC. Please be careful with the latter, she can't take much abuse."

Malina strode away with an improper salute.

Justice let out a low whistle, "this feels like a nice place you guys got."

Judgement muttered, "debatable on how safe it is."

I began coughing and had to take a drink of water to make it subside. I rest my head slightly back against the couch to relax my neck. Lucifer eyed me curiously as she sat where Helltaker had been. Judgement went beside Justice and oddly, she began describing the environment of the house to her. I ignored it and looked to Lucy as she spoke to me, "you never intended for this to be a harem, did you? No offence, but you don't seem like someone who would go to one of those let alone run one. Tell me, what is it you desire?"

I slumped slightly and looked at her. I glanced away before saying, "it's a lonely life around here. I've only got a couple of friends and they live hundreds of miles away from here and our timetables never match. Helltaker is really the only guy I know. Anyone else I speak to online always mentions my voice and its depth which makes me self-conscious about speaking. Most days, I'm surprised to hear my voice and I'll try to talk to myself at times just to remember I have one, although I doubt that's helped." I was surprised by how intently Lucifer was listening. I also noticed Pandemonica writing on her clipboard as she glanced up at me.

"I'm just studying you the way you studied, and continue to study, the rest of us."

I smirked, "I'm surprised you notice it and I'll respect that. Just uh... you don't share those with people, do you?"

Pandemonica shook her head, "only for blackmail."

This did not cool my nerves.

I cleared my throat and continued to Lucifer, "I guess at first I just wanted to know if Hell was real. That's long past and you guessed right, I'm not here for lust. I guess I was just excited to meet some new people..."

"To quell the endless meaningless monotony of your day to day interfaces within your daily commutes?" Lucifer asked precisely as she tilted her head.

I blinked a couple of times in surprise, "I uh... yeah. I guess I felt more lonely than I'd thought."

Lucifer stood up and stretched saying, "well, I'm tired of torturing. The amount of time I spend doing paperwork and answering boring questions is mind-numbing. Plus I'm getting pancakes out of this."

I smirked, "yeah, those are Helltaker's specialty."

She nodded to me respectfully and made her way towards the stairs speaking, "I'll go ask him about them then."

Azazel studied a statue on a side table and took some small notes in a notepad. I looked behind me to see Cerberus pouncing around Modeus as she practically waded back into the room. She hushed them quietly and gestured politely to me.

The cute girls turned and their ears turned down shamefully. The middle one muttered, "we couldn't fix it."

I turned my head as I chuckled but my vision swam immediately. I leaned forward and held my temple as I felt nauseous again. It drifted away and I decided that I'd sat down too long. However, my legs felt weaker than expected and I couldn't quite get up easily. I sighed and looked over to the Cerberus girls. Modeus somehow knew of my suffering as she ushered the girls forward commanding gently, "go help him up and just maybe he won't punish you."

Modeus' minute smile died quickly as she reached the end of her sentence. She stood, lost in her memory as Cerberus clambered towards me.

The three girls all rushed over quickly, practically climbing over themselves as they stood in front of me. I was expecting rushed and harsh movements but they were gentle as they eased me upwards onto my feet. I smiled and spoke to the girl my right arm was draped around, "I think this makes us even."

The girls all excitedly smiled and their tails seemed to wag from the joy. Pandemonica followed me to the kitchen, "you seriously gave two litres of blood? That's almost fatal."

I shrugged as best I could, "we needed some of it to open the Hellgate, the rest was to bribe a Hellguard."

She underlined a section of her notes responding, "interesting. Did you know the demon's name?"

I raised an eyebrow, "didn't ask, sorry."

Pandemonica sighed, "I had a feeling."

Modeus looked at me with a tilted head and glittering eyes as I strode slowly past her, recovering from her trance. Our heads turned and slowly followed each other but we both averted gazes awkwardly after a couple of moments. She nervously went over to the bookcase and began reading the spines.

I turned back with Pandemonica as Cerberus helped me to the counter. I leaned on it and rubbed my head. I poured a small glass of water and drank it. I sighed and looked at Cerberus as the three girls huddled together, staring at me. I smiled and tilted my head, these girls were adorable. I reached forward and placed my hand on the middle one's head. The middle one moved into it, her hands balled into excited fists as the other two hugged her from the side tightly. I ruffled her hair a bit and scratched her ears.

Afterwards, they all opened their eyes and excitedly asked, "how may we serve?" in unison.

I scratched my head and replied, "uhhhhhh.... maybe you can help Azazel out with her research?" The girls all nodded excitedly before bounding out of the kitchen.

Pan looked at a mug and brought it over to me expectantly. I raised an eyebrow asking, "so, how do you like your coffee?"

She thought for a moment but scribbled on her clipboard. She ripped off the paper and taped it onto the cupboard. I read it and was surprised to see it was rather simple. I looked at her in the corner of my eyes asking, "ever had a latte?"

Pandemonica looked at me oddly, "a what?"

I looked in surprise to her, "oh you're going to love this."

It took a few minutes and she noted down every movement I made curiously. She waited patiently but I could tell by her fingers tapping that she was excited; either that or she was impatient.

Eventually, I laid the mug in front of her and stirred in her desired amounts of sugar and cream. She delicately picked it up and sniffed it as a test. She looked pleased as she took a tiny sip. Looking at me, her pupils grew for a split second right before she took a long drag of the liquid.

She brought the mug down as her horns extended and the tiredness in her body language and eyes dissipated. The only thing left was playful sadism as she glared at me. "This is good..." she spoke as she stared daggers, "you'll need to get me another in half an hour. Either that or I can simply break your fingers."

I raised an eyebrow as a mote of fear dripped into my soul. I muttered, "I don't like where this is going."

Pandemonica took another sip and then hissed, "at least we'll get to test the hospital's competence around here."

She took a step towards me and I took one back. She glared at me intently and I could tell she was deciding what to do. My mouth dried with fear as I tried to call out to Cerberus or anyone for help but I couldn't.

However, to my joy, another woman stepped in without me asking. Modeus stepped between us as she glared back at Pandemonica with the same intensity. She spoke confidently, "if you break his fingers, you won't get any more coffees."

"A minor inconvenience, he'll live."

Modeus stepped back and beside me, gently placing a hand on my back as she declared, "you won't hurt him, he's under my protection."

Pandemonica's knuckles turned white as she gripped the mug harder, I thought it would shatter with any more pressure. She hissed, "he's what now?"

I stood tall as Modeus did while she declared yet again, "this mortal is under my protection and, as a demon, you are unable to harm him intentionally."

Pandemonica shrunk her head down as she took a long sip of her latte which was nearly gone by now. She scowled, "I know the laws, I'm the one who helped write them." She looked at me with a sadistic smile, "you're lucky she was here to save your ass." Her eyes softened as she swirled the coffee. She looked back up as she reached out to grab her clipboard using her offhand, "but Modeus does make a good point. Without you, I wouldn't have any coffee supply, so I need you."

I gulped as she turned away and strode off to the dining table alone to savour the last of the beverage.

Letting out a large sigh of relief, Modeus rubbed my back in tiny circles gently. She brought her hand away and held it near her chest tenderly as I glanced at her. I muttered an awkward thanks and stated, "you didn't have to do that you know."

Modeus tilted her head down and her eyes up to me and I was drawn in, captivated by her trance. The woman shook her head as she glanced at the caffeinated demon, "she can be a bitch when she has a coffee, but her threats are always empty no matter how threatening she can seem." She looked back to me, "plus I still want to figure you out. I want to know why you're different. There's still something else about you that I just can't place. Something that's... new."

I raised an eyebrow at her and tilted my head slightly. I whispered, "you seem different than the others too. I guess we'll have to stick around and find out with time."

Modeus nodded as her natural frown lightened a bit.

I felt my head swim again and I placed my hand on the countertop to steady myself. I guess I didn't hide it well as Modeus stepped forward timidly asking, "is everything alright?" Her eyes showed more concern than anything else as I cleared my throat to regain my voice.

"Yeah... I think I just need rest."

"I can help you with that," Modeus perked up.

I raised an eyebrow, "I don't know about that, I always have trouble sleeping. Plus it'll be a lot noisier around here now."

Modeus tilted her head and repeated herself, "I can help."

"I... alright, thank you."

She smiled and her back straightened up as she clapped her hands, summoning Cerberus. The three girls popped around the corner happily and waited for a command impatiently.

Modeus gestured to me asking, "would you help Vandrem up the stairs to his living quarters?"

Cerberus nodded so quickly I thought they'd snap their necks.

The journey upstairs was a blur but I remember the girls practically carrying me as I was on the verge of passing out. I pointed to my room and they got me onto the bed, ignoring the covers. I don't remember seeing any of the others, they must be sidetracked doing other things with exploration.

Modeus entered the room after Cerberus finished helping me lie down. They huddled around each other proudly as Modeus strode towards me. I let out a sigh of relief, my body finally being able to relax. However, the ambient noise would never allow me to sleep and I'm not sure if I'd be able to in the middle of the day.

I saw the glowing hearts above me and her fluttering eyelids flashing her glowing pupils. Her head tilted with a gentle smile and she placed her right hand on my cheek, hovering over me. I was about to speak but she hushed me gently. She leaned in, her lips pressing against my forehead in a kiss. She leaned back down, her eyes looking into mine as she whispered mellifluously, " ** _sleep_**."

My eyes felt weights heavier than any sleep-deprivation I've ever had before. The last thing I saw was her beaming eyes as she stood up proudly beside me, watching over me carefully, as I slipped into unconsciousness. 


	3. New Discoveries

The time came where I eventually woke up. I felt myself drift into consciousness and I turned to the side happily. I heard faint voices drift into my ears and I suddenly remembered the events before I'd fallen asleep. I sat up alarmed, expecting some kind of danger.

There was nothing, everything was exactly where I'd left it. My door was closed and nonetheless, it was _locked._ I never locked my door, not in a million years. But... the door locks from the inside. If I didn't... then...?

I turned to my side to see a pair of curious eyes looking at me happily. The head tilted wordlessly as a smile grew and I recognized one of the Cerberus girls. Oddly, it was just one.

She was sitting with her legs curled underneath her on the end of the bed, intently watching over me like a guard dog. She leaned forward happily as our eyes met.

"You're awake!" She shouted enthusiastically.

"Uh... yeah, I am. What's going on?"

"Oh!" Cerberus spoke gleefully, "Modeus commanded I watch over you and to keep you safe!"

I slid my legs to the side and planted my feet on the ground. My head only swam ever so slightly, much better than earlier.

Before I could continue, the girl sprang off the bed and raced to the door shouting, "I'll fet-... uh... get her!"

She was gone before I could protest. The voices outside grew louder and I was almost scared of what was going on out there. I let my fear subside and stood up slowly. I was feeling a thousand times better, almost as if the sleep had revitalized me against any ailing I was experiencing.

I slowly ventured to the door, not wanting to test my luck and move swiftly. I pulled the door open and went out into the hall. Voices grew louder and I recognized arguing. I imagined the worst and was fearing Helltaker's demise at the hands of an angry demon.

I strode slowly and stealthily, not wanting to make a sound. We had a living room on the top floor with large couches and a flat-screen TV where we'd play console games to ease our boredom. I heard the sound from there and I poked my head around the corner.

What I witnessed was not what I expected.

I saw Helltaker and Malina sitting beside each other, both hunched over and invested in a game. She threw insults at him as they played against each other, urging the other to make a mistake. It felt so intense but I could feel the playfulness from it. Zdrada stuck close by but didn't pay attention, instead she was browsing on what I assumed to be Helltaker's phone.

I was surprised to see Justice but not surprised to see her taking bets from Judgement on who'd win the next bout.

My eyes met with Zdrada and she had a look of surprise at first. I saw her quickly hide a cigarette behind her, one she'd been attempting to hide from Helltaker and subsequently me. The demon smoothly replaced it with a popsicle as I squinted at her; I assume Helltaker must have briefed her on our "no smoking" rule already.

She relaxed and, without looking at the others, shouted, "yo! The sleeper is awake."

Helltaker and Malina both just waved, too invested in the competition to take their eyes off it. Justice pointed a finger gun in my direction saying, "Hey, you're not dead. Cool."

I stepped around the corner nervously asking, "not yet I'm not. What's going on?"

Zdrada took her popsicle out of her mouth gesturing with it, "the nerds are doing their thing with their spectators. Lucifer wouldn't let anyone cook so she's making dinner with Cerb, although no one could find the third girl."

I rubbed my head embarrassed, "yeah... she was with me."

Justice smirked, "nice."

I frowned, "not like that. Someone commanded her to watch over me."

"That would be my doing," a voice rang out behind me. I turned to see Modeus walking towards me, a book hanging under her arm.

I tilted my head curiously at her but Judgement spoke first, "did you use your thing on him already?"

Modeus shrugged with her eyes pointed upwards, "I can't help myself, he needed to heal." She turned to me as she studied me, "you've got more colour to you now."

I looked down at my hands, noticing less paleness. I looked back up to her with shock asking, "the sleep... healed me? How's that possible?"

Zdrada just muttered flatly, "magic. All demons have a different form."

I nodded curiously, "huh." I looked to Modeus and she tilted her head. I smiled gently at her and watched a heart slowly form into existence floating around her. I cleared my throat nervously and spoke politely, "thank you very much, Modeus. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me." I bowed slightly to her, unsure of Hell's etiquette.

She gave a timid curtsey as she whispered, "it was my pleasure, don't tell anyone."

I noticed the blush on her cheeks and tilted my head to her. I whispered back, "our secret is safe, don't worry."

She blushed more when I said our and she had to bring one hand up to hide her smile.

We both looked over to the TV as Malina shouted, "YES! IN. YOUR. FACE!" She was pointing at Helltaker as Judgement begrudgingly handed Justice a twenty. I frowned, curious about where they'd even gotten the money. Deciding to ignore it, I watched as Helltaker stood up and stretched his back. He admitted it as a good game to Malina but he should probably help with cooking.

He waved to me, making sure I was alright before he ventured down. Zdrada followed, anticipating food soon. Malina noticed Modeus' blush and glared at me, reaffirming her earlier threat.

I cleared my throat and averted her gaze, leading Modeus' to an opposite couch as she studied me further. She sat down gently beside me, leaning towards me slightly. I wasn't sure if she was doing it intentionally or not, but regardless she was. I gestured to the book she was holding and asked, "May I?"

She nodded and held out the book to me and I read the title, spider-sense. It was a romantic book about how a young couple fell slowly in love together, their lives becoming slowly entwined like a spider web. They ended up spending the rest of their life and then the afterlife with each other, their souls igniting into one fiery entity.

I handed it back to Modeus asking, "a romance book? You're interested in these?"

Modeus nodded slowly with a burning blush. She cooled herself, "it's the kinkiest stuff I've ever heard of."

Malina and I both looked at her questioningly, Judgement and Justice both exploring the nearby rooms. I looked to Malina but she just laughed and went back to her game since it was now her turn.

I cleared my throat and asked softly, "you know there's no sex involved in this book, right? It's just love."

Modeus looked at me blankly, "love is sex."

I blinked a couple of times and had no idea what to say. I heard Justice exclaim from the other room, "oh, honey."

I rubbed my eyebrows nervously, not wanting to offend the demon. She asked innocently, "what? Have I been doing it all wrong?"

I spoke nervously, "not exactly? What you know is lust. Lust isn't love."

Modeus was confused as if her world were being turned upside down. She asked again, "so... lust is sex?"

"Exactly."

"And this," she held up the book, "is love?"

I tugged on my tie explaining, "well... not the book itself. But it's about love and how it forms."

"How it forms? What is love if not lust?"

I took a deep breath, I never thought I'd have to explain this to someone. I told her simply, "think of lust being only physical. It deals with sex almost entirely and a physical need for pleasure." Modeus nodded along, understanding perfectly. I continued, "love is the emotional part of any relationship." She tilted her head questioningly so I continued, "it's about how you feel about the other person. If you truly care about someone and can see yourself spending the rest of your life by their side to support them, then you might be in love. It's about care, support, trust, dependency and so many other things. Love can form between two people without them ever touching each other."

Modeus stood stock-still, running through the new information. She looked back down at the book and opened it, scanning through the pages until she found a section. She turned it to me and pointed, "but here it says their love ignited when their hands touched, that's physical."

Malina just grinned at my suffering as I explained further, reading the passage, "lust is a need for pleasure, but love is more so a need for care and comfort. In this case, he's holding her hand in a situation where she needs comfort, there's no pleasure involved."

Modeus frowned, "are the two completely separate? They seem similar."

I shrugged, "one can easily lead to the other. Personally, I have a lot of trouble feeling lust for someone I don't love, which is why I've had so little partners."

Malina snorted, "could have seen that coming."

I ignored her as Modeus thought it over. She looked down admitting, "I don't think I've ever been, or ever will be, in love."

I looked down at her gently. I placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her head as she'd turned mine earlier. I whispered, "many people haven't, but it's not something that can be rushed or forced."

She blushed as her head sunk gratefully into my hand for a second. Two hearts simultaneously appeared around her head as the woman's eyes closed happily, catching Malina's attention for a second. She studied Modeus as the woman fluttered her eyelashes and cheeks turned red. I asked gently as I drew away my hand, leaving it floating for a second, "does that help clear it up?"

Malina frowned as Modeus nodded quickly, holding the book against her chest another small heart sprouting into existence out of thin air. They all glowed softly, brighter than they normally would while she was idle. Modeus opened her mouth to talk but Malina cut her off quickly while standing up, "well would you look at the time! It's time to eat we've got to go down there like right now!"

Modeus glanced to the side, one of her hearts slowly dissipating, "I don't hear anything."

Malina ushered her up and towards the direction of the stairs, "then you're not hearing enough! Get goin'!"

I stood up as Modeus walked away timidly, unsure of the information. Malina stopped me from following and put her hand on my chest. She shoved a finger in my face, "look, I don't know what your game is, but I will not allow you to hurt her."

I held my hands up fearfully whispering, "I was just repaying the favour. She helped me, it's only fair that I help her."

Malina frowned further but didn't say anything as Modeus called out, "Vandrem? Aren't you coming too? Mortals need sustenance too."

Malina turned back to me with one last quip, "you leave one mark on her and I will snap you in half."

Surprisingly, a bell rang out and Lucifer announced, "dinner has been served!"

I raised my eyebrow to Malina asking, "good timing, huh?"

She growled at me and hissed, "I'm keeping my eye on you. You say you aren't into this whole harem thing but I see past your lies." With that, she strode away, past an awaiting Modeus who popped back around the corner.

I walked slowly over to the demon as she helped guide me down the stairs, but I didn't seem to need much help. It wasn't hard to notice Judgement telling Justice when the stairs were approaching and I couldn't help but wonder why. The thought left as I smelt the food below as it came into view.

The table was filled with steaming hot food of all kinds. Way more than Lucifer would ever have been able to cook. She must have summoned it from hell or some alternative but I was just happy to have something other than junk food for once. Almost everyone was sitting at the table, ready to eat. Cerberus couldn't sit still and Pandemonica was looking tired again, her horns dwindling. She looked to me pleading, "I told you I wanted a coffee in half an hour about three hours ago."

I cleared my throat, "it seems I fell behind. After this, you'll get it for dessert as long as you vow _not_ to break my bones."

She agreed hastily asking, "oh dear, did I threaten you like that?"

I sat down across from her as Modeus sat tenderly beside me, "you did, I had to intervene."

The older demon wiped her forehead, "I'm terribly sorry. I don't recall that, it shouldn't happen again."

Modeus whispered to me, "it'll totally happen again."

I nodded fearfully as I looked to Helltaker who sat at the end of the table. He asked proudly, "now is this not the best meal you've ever seen?!"

I smiled, "I can't say it isn't."

Zdrada slumped in her seat, "I've had better."

A wooden spoon whipped against her skull lightly as Lucifer scolded, "hey! This took an hour to get."

Azazel was at the far end, "it took only half an hour..."

Lucifer glared at her as Zdrada smirked, "the other thirty minutes she spent setting it out so daintily." She earned herself another smack.

Annoyed, Lucifer spoke, "well if I had the third one it would have been faster."

She cleared her throat and gestured to the food, "enough of this, dig in."

I wasn't surprised to see Cerberus dive in first, grabbing helpings of every single meal laid out. Helltaker took large chunks of the closest things while I slowly looked over the selection, choosing a few select items that would go well together. Everyone ate in their own respective way, but yet again Justice intrigued me as Judgement helped her load her plate.

I cleared my throat and asked above the sounds, "Justice?"

The woman froze and looked over to me questioningly. I felt a spark of fear as all eyes centered on me. I asked softly, "I don't mean this in a bad way or anything but... are... are you blind?"

Justice froze and a deep frown slowly set across her face. She scowled at me as Judgement glared. Justice asked harshly, "how dare you ask me that?!"

I shrunk slightly downwards as Judgement hissed, "isn't it obvious?"

Silence fell as everyone stopped eating, mostly in confusion. I started profusely apologizing, still not knowing what happened. I slowly drifted off when I noticed Justice's frown break into a smile and she chuckled. Judgement did the same thing.

Justice held her hand out and the two high fived as I looked around in confusion. Justice waved her hand, "don't worry about a thing, I'm fuckin' with you." She raised her glasses and I could see the grey cloudiness over her pupils as she explained, "you guessed it. I was seeing how long I'd keep it hidden."

I leaned back with a sigh of relief as everyone laughed light-heartedly at the joke. I laughed too, trying to cool my nerves.

It didn't write work as my heart continued to race with adrenaline and fear.

Justice explained further, "I heard Zdrada telling you that every demon has their own type of magic. Well, Modeus has her sleep and healing as well as an ability to manipulate emotion, although she never uses it. Judgement has chains, and I've got a sense for people. I can literally sense where everyone in this room is as well as key aspects about you all."

Judgement roared in pride, "you're missing the best part!"

Justice grinned, "oh yeah, that too. I can tell if anyone is telling a lie no matter how deep-rooted or how half-truthed it is."

I nodded along, intrigued by how the demon world works. I spoke quickly before the conversation shifted, "while we are on the topic of demons. I've always wanted to know this: how are demons made? Like, do you have children the same as humans? Were you once human or born from a kind of hellfire?"

Helltaker nodded and gestured to Lucifer, "I was going to ask the same thing. When someone goes to hell do they become a demon like you?"

The eloquent woman dabbed her lips with a napkin before responding, "I knew you'd want to find out. No, demons cannot have any children because God knows we'd have thousands of spawn by now. Instead, demons have their own souls generated from Hell's energy and they are often created for a specific purpose. No human who enters Hell becomes a demon, they are just damned to eternal punishment."

I nodded along, curious to find out any information I could. However, she changed the subject quickly and they all began talking amongst themselves. I stayed outside the conversation, too awkward but also taking the time to study the company.

I was surprised by how delicately many of the demons ate. I mean, they are demons after all. I was expecting them to devour their meals or to have no sense of table manners but they were very well-behaved except for a mild case of Cerberus who failed to wipe her mouth.

I heard a sound of disappointment to my right and I looked over to Modeus. I heard her whimper, "the dumplings are all gone already?"

I saw her holding an empty plate which she placed down ahead of her. Her own plate still had several articles of food, but a distinct lack of dumplings. I saw a heart above her head slowly sink out of existence and I felt bad for the little demon. I glanced at my own plate, finding luckily I still had one dumpling left.

I glanced around, seeing no other alternatives for the food. I didn't bother hesitating, knowing I'd already made my decision.

I placed the dumpling on my fork and nonchalantly held it onto Modeus' plate. She looked down at it in surprise and her pupils grew. She looked up to my smile and a flame grew across her face in the form of blush. Two hearts grew from nothing and they all swirled around her head slightly faster.

She timidly held her own fork against the dumpling and it slid into her plate with a slight thump. 

"Thank you..." she whispered gratefully as she held it up slowly to her mouth.

She took a gentle nibble of it as I whispered back, "you are very welcome."

She smiled at me from behind the food. She always tended to hide her smile whenever she was blushing and it only made her cuter.

I looked up slightly from her to see Helltaker meeting my eyes with a grin. I squinted and he shrugged with a wider smile. He surrendered as I glared at him by holding up an "ok" sign with his hand. Either that or he was signing the number 9 or the letter F but I somehow doubted it.

I ignored him, turning back to eat my food but I couldn't stop my own blush from forming as I finished off my meal.

Most people were finishing by now, reminiscing on the meal and chatting casually. I was too shy to be able to hop in nor did I have much to offer to the conversations.

At one point, I did get up to make Pandemonica's latte, Cerberus gathering empty plates and following me. They dumped it onto the counter and watched me intently as I used the machine. I decided to hide the button presses from them in case I lose my usefulness for Pandemonica and she does end up breaking my fingers.

I brought the latte in and sat beside a fidgeting Modeus. I handed the latte to Pan and noticed Modeus calm down, the hearts swirling again as she studied me. I raised an eyebrow and let her study as Pandemonica drank, her horns growing yet again. She looked at me meticulously but cooled her gaze once she saw Modeus and remembered her protection over me.

At one point, Lucifer asked, "so what is it you two would usually do at night?"

I scratched my head and looked to Helltaker and shrugged. He listed off a few things, "well I guess we'd either watch a movie, get drunk, play video games, or do our own thing."

Cerberus started chanting immediately as they squished together, "Movie! Movie! Movie!"

Malina seconded it, "movie with booze and I'm in."

Zbrada chuckled, "for once we agree."

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, "you okay with that, Justice?"

The woman nodded smoothly as she licked her fingers, "hell yeah, why not. Hearing everyone's reactions and feeling the atmosphere is more than enough entertainment for me."

I clapped my hands saying, "well that sounds like majority to me, movie it is."

There was a surprising amount of cheering, I had a feeling some of the demons were buzzed already, especially Malina who'd managed to find alcohol long ago.

Cerberus did most of the cleaning, although I have no idea what they did with the dishes.

We all headed upstairs and we let the demons start voting on a movie as we arranged the couches to all face the tv. I asked him as we did so, "Is this how you all planned it to go?"

The man shook his head, "not in the slightest. They're a hand full don't get me wrong, but they're amazing company."

"Not trying to sleep with them all yet?" I asked him with a grin.

He shrugged, "to be honest, I don't even think this is a harem anymore." I grunted from exertion as I agreed. Helltaker finished with one couch and began hauling over an oval loveseat. He whispered so he was sure none of the other demons could hear as they argued, "so... you and Modeus..."

I froze in my tracks and took a couple of steps towards him, looking around for her. I saw her coursing through the selection of films, completely distracted. I looked back whispering, "don't say anything. I don't know what I'm doing but I'm loving every single second of this."

Helltaker grinned, "I can tell." His countenance firmed and he grew serious for a moment, "you seem happier than you've been for the past few months."

That made me freeze. I looked to him as something caught in my throat. I cleared it and asked softly, "I have? I don't feel too different..."

Placing a hand on my shoulder and looking into my eyes he continued, "are you sure about that? I can tell just by looking at you. You didn't agree to the harem for lust or for the views, did you?" I looked to him shamefully as he pieced it together, "you agreed because you want companionship."

I hushed him softly before anyone heard. "Okay, fine, you've got me. I have no intention of sleeping with any of these women or exploiting them for their looks. I'm just... " I drifted off but he waited patiently for me to continue, his glasses sliding slightly down so I could see his eyes clearly. They urged me on and I obeyed, "I think I'm just ready to settle down."

Helltaker recoiled slightly, not expecting that. I continued before he got the wrong idea, "I'm twenty-four and I've had like, what, three relationships my entire life? None of them ever got past the second month and I only ever had sex with two of them. That's not what I want. At this point, I'm ready to fall asleep and wake up to the same face every day. I want to make breakfast and coffee in bed for a partner and I want to have the opportunity to love and feel loved. Even _just_ the opportunity is enough for me. Seeing all these women and all the different personalities gives me hope in people." I scanned them all as I continued, "I never expected demons to give me so much hope for something I had convinced myself for so long that I'd never be able to achieve. I don't long for sex, nor do I another close friend like you. I guess you got it right... I'm longing for companionship and even though I have no idea if anything'll transpire with Modeus or not, I'm damned sure that she's secured my hope for companionship in the future."

Helltaker looked surprised but completely understanding as he smiled and nodded slowly.

"That's the most truthful thing I've ever heard in my life and I've existed for over a millennium," a voice spoke from our side and both our heads snapped over. My heart sank as I saw Justice standing against the wall, listening in. She stepped towards us and tapped her temple, "blind, remember? I don't care about movie selection."

I looked around, seeing the other demons still busy. Justice cleared her throat and spoke with a whisper, "honestly, though, that was beautiful and you've got my respect for that."

I tilted my head curiously as my fear slowly subsided, Justice seemed to be chill and wouldn't spill my secret. They replied to my head tilt, "I've prosecuted and questioned millions and the largest problem every damned soul has is that they've convinced themself that a lie they've told themselves for years is the truth. None of them realize it even after being explicitly told. Yet here you are, miles ahead of them. Seriously, that honesty hit me like a wave and I've got a tear in my eye."

I blushed slightly but begged, "try not to spread that info, I'd rather keep it close to the chest."

Justice waved her hands and wiped one eye, "you got it, man, anything to hear more honesty. I'm so tired of lies and you've been the best person to listen to all century." She leaned in a little closer, "however, I will spill one secret. When Modeus told you that she doesn't think she's ever been, nor will be, in love: she was lying."

My eyebrows raised in surprise and my jaw slightly dropped. Justice continued, "it was almost completely true, so much so that it was barely a lie. It's true she's never been in love, but there was a firmly rooted piece of doubt within her mind when she spoke of the future. I think she sees hope, just as you do. You taught her about love and companionship, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what she craves after years of endless meaningless lust. You're a good guy, Vandrem, and, if I'm being honest, she's a good woman disguised as a demon."

With that, Justice waved and joined the other demons casually.

I blinked in shock at her, the information rolling in my head again. I let my eyes single on Modeus as she glanced over to me, her eyes holding my own. She broke our gaze as she blushed slightly and covered her mouth with her hands as she pulled her sleeves around her curled fingers timidly.

The hand of the Helltaker placed itself on my shoulder as he whispered, "as I said, you've been happier than you have been for a long time and it's easy to see."

My heart and pride surged as I stared at her, finally realizing why she was so intrigued by why I was different.

_I'm not the only one with feelings._


	4. A Beacon Built From Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely one of my favourites, always sparks a tear or two for me.
> 
> Enjoy!

I'm not the only one with feelings...

That thought lingered with me throughout the rest of the rearranging, but that didn't last much longer.

I was intrigued to find out they'd voted for a horror movie, although Modeus didn't seem excited about it. To be honest, I didn't see too much interest in it either but I wasn't about to argue against the demons when I knew how much power they held. However, I was beginning to feel more confident around them as I earned trust and respect.

Everyone bundled together and we all chose our seats. I lounged back in the elliptical loveseat. I loved this seat with the absurd amount of pillows and the fuzzy blanket that I often wrapped myself in. Cerberus sat on the ground, knowing how much she'd fidget and letting the others have the more spacious seats. Judgement and Justice stuck together, Judgement anticipating on knowing everyone's reactions from Justice while Justice got the movie from Judgement.

Helltaker sat in the middle, Lucifer sitting beside him. Pandemonica had her own blanket and pillow, I had a feeling she'd fall asleep partway through the movie, her sadism already beginning to fade.

The others sat around haphazardly except for Modeus, who eyed me when she was deciding where to sit. She looked disappointed and was going to sit elsewhere before I cleared my throat. She kept her eyes on me and a smile dawned on her face when I shifted to the side, revealing how much room the loveseat had.

The woman sat gently down to my right and her hearts swam around her head happily as I looked down at her. Malina didn't look amused and took a swig of booze while looking away.

We didn't talk much before the movie, everyone was rather excited to just get it going, except for Lucifer; the devil seemed rather neutral.

I wasn't a big fan of horror movies. I didn't like gore and I found jumpscares to be a cheap tactic so many horror movies just didn't work for me.

The others were all hushed as they watched it, with most of the sound coming from Justice and Judgement or Cerberus reacting.

Twenty minutes in, Modeus and I were slowly sinking back. We were practically laying down beside each other casually now as we intently watched the movie. I glanced at her and was surprised to see clear fear within her eyes ever so softly. I didn't expect her to be scared, she was a demon after all. I remembered how Justice described her as a good woman disguised as a demon and it made me wonder how she wasn't an angel other than the lust she was forced to feel. Regardless, Modeus was scared of the movie and her knees pointed inwards, lifted slightly. Her elbows rested on her stomach as her hands covered her mouth with her sleeves turned up.

I couldn't stop myself from staring as she was entranced by the film. I followed her gaze to stop myself from staring too long, right as a jumpscare occurred. I'd only just looked back so I didn't really jump, but Modeus did. I barely heard her little squeak of terror above Helltaker's laugh, but I heard it. Even more so, she turned towards me, shutting her eyes and pushing herself away instinctively. She bumped against me and accidentally rolled on top of my arm as I'd had it extended to the side, my hand under my head. When she realized our proximity, she blushed at me and went to awkwardly move away.

However, a secondary jumpscare occurred and just the sound made her cower again as her hand laid on my chest, her head pressed against the side of my chest closer to my ribs. I laughed extremely softly and moved into her slightly, my body turning fractionally. I let my arm unextend and wrap around her shoulders comfortingly.

She opened her eyes slowly after a second and looked slowly up to me. She glanced to the right and shifted her torso, feeling my arm resting across her back with my hand on her shoulder. I gently ran my thumb over the fabric of her coat. Two hearts faded into existence around her head and they all burned brighter as she subconsciously sunk into me. She took in a deep breath and let it out as she closed her eyes and exhaled.

She smiled while opening them, surprised to see me dragging a blanket over the both of us. I was surprised as she used her tail to guide it over my torso and her hands pulling it down around us. She made sure she was still turned into me with her head lying on my chest so that she wouldn't be too scared. She took another deep breath and I felt her tail wrap gently along my left side, keeping her entire body against me.

She looked up to me and I noticed a dozen hearts all swarming around her head. I've never seen so many nor seen them so fast. She looked into my eyes, her pupils glowing with pride and joy, "thank you."

I whispered back, quiet enough so no one else would hear, "it's my pleasure." As I whispered, I placed my left hand over her right. She jumped, out of surprise rather than fear. She pressed into me harder as she lifted her hand, staring at my own. She looked up to me in wonder and I couldn't help but let my own fiery blush erupt as I separated my fingers. Modeus mimicked the action and our hands drifted together. Our palms touched, my fingers curling over her hand and holding it gently. She shivered with anticipation as three extra hearts appeared and burned a bright red. She copied the action, her smile growing as she squeezed her fingers against my hand.

We were holding hands. It may seem small, but for me it was monumental. I had her resting on me with my arm around her and with a hand entwined. She looked happier than I ever thought she could be and she was almost too flustered to function. She didn't move away in the slightest, her legs even shifting against mine as her right slipped between mine to let herself lean more into my body. She took a deep breath and I could see my same thoughts in her eyes as she looked up to me.

Modeus couldn't help but giggle and put her head down, just barely poking above the blanket at the movie. I barely paid attention to it, my attention diverting to the woman who gripped me for comfort.

She was sucked back into the movie within minutes, her blush slowly dying and the hearts calming themselves and only a couple dissipating.

The movie had many intense moments and more jump scares, all of which Modeus gripped me and squeezed me for comfort. There were many times she wasn't able to watch, shutting her eyes and only opening them when I'd squeezed her hand and rubbed her shoulder. I couldn't help myself a couple of times whispering to her some comforting words which immediately soothed her. Every time after she embraced my warmth and scent, her confidence swarmed.

After one such scare, I looked around curiously at everyone else. They were all enjoying it thoroughly, but Justice drew my eyes as she stared right at me. She looked away after she'd realized I must be looking and lifted her glasses. I smiled as she swiftly wiped under her eyes with a sleeve. My pride surged as I remembered she is observing everyone's reactions and how mine and Modeus' must be drastically different from the others.

Regardless of what anyone else thought or felt, I was having the time of my life. My heart beat proudly as the girl clung to me, her fear surfacing less and less throughout the movie.

By the end, Modeus barely felt scared at all. In fact, the credits began to roll and she gently closed her eyes, her fingers tracing small circles on my chest subconsciously. She breathed smoothly and evenly as I glanced around at everyone.

Malina looks like she'd passed out from the couple bottles of booze she'd brought. Helltaker laughed with Lucifer as they made fun of the movie while Cerberus cuddled with themselves. Azazel held a pillow close and watched the credits intently, thanking the creators. I saw everyone doing their own thing as I looked down at Modeus.

She looked so peaceful as she smiled, breathing deeply. I squeezed her shoulder and lifted her hand slightly and her eyes fluttered open, looking up to me, "Wha...?"

I smiled at her, unable to contain my blush as I asked, "getting tired there?"

Modeus lowered her head timidly and nodded adorably. My heart melted as I let go of her hand and pulled her in with both arms in one last hug. She embraced it with her head turned to the side, a smile apparent.

After a moment we pulled apart and I whispered, "come on, even demons need sleep."

At least I think they do.

She scoffed but didn't deny it as we both sat up, throwing the blanket off ourselves as we sat beside each other. I took my arm off of her and we looked at each other awkwardly but I could tell she was exhausted. I stood up and helped her as she'd helped me previously.

I turned to Helltaker, "can you take care of sleeping arrangements?"

He nodded to me saying, "sure, Pandemonica had been working on that already."

I looked down at the woman he mentioned but she was long since asleep on the floor and I wasn't going to be the one to wake her. I shrugged and turned to Modeus, "I'm just going to help Modeus to bed."

He didn't question it at all, turning back to Lucifer as she smiled eloquently yet dastardly.

I left the room, my hand hovering on Modeus' shoulder as I guided her just in case she stumbled. She was alright, just tired. We got to my room and I opened the door, leading her inside. She made her way to the bed as I closed the door, hearing it click closed. The noise level died down considerably as me and Modeus were left completely alone. I didn't lock the door as I turned on the bedside light and strode beside her to sit down.

I looked to her with a smirk, "enjoyed the movie?"

She nodded with a bright smile and an mhmm!

I could tell she was tired as her eyelids struggled to stay open. I grinned and blushed as I spoke, "I definitely enjoyed certain parts more. Did you feel very scared?"

Modeus shook her head and it was cute to see the hearts following her and still circling, "I felt a lot less scared with you there." The woman slowly shook her head and her eyes opened fully as she looked over to me curiously, "Is this what love feels like?"

I looked at her dumbfounded and cleared my throat. I was stammering and trying to come up with some bullshit but I decided to cut it and admitted, "I think... this is at least a taste of what love is, of what it can be."

Modeus looked over to me, her eyes delving into mine again. "This is only a mote of love? The embrace was so warm, tender, and comforting than any other I've ever been in. That's... that's the first time I ever felt comforted. I felt scared during those scenes, but you always helped calm me down." The woman looked up to me excitedly, "do you feel the same? About having gotten to comfort?"

I shrugged and grinned, "I'll admit it, I might enjoy getting to hold you and protect you when you need it."

She leaned into me, "we should watch horror movies more often."

I returned her smile, "agreed."

We sat for a minute in silence, enjoying the warm air. After a moment, I looked down to her and was shocked to see a deep frown and shrunken shoulders. I asked gently, "hey... what's wrong?"

She turned away and refused to answer. However, after a second she turned back with red eyes. She whimpered, "I don't want to lose this feeling. I don't want it to ever go away."

I put a hand on the side of her face comforting her, "it doesn't have to."

She leaned into it and whispered, "but what if it does?" She turned away from my hand as she snivelled, "I'm a demon of lust! I can't control myself and deep down I'll always crave it."

I sat closer to her and put an arm around her. She leaned into me as I whispered, "explain it to me. Everything that's going through your head, just let it out."

She waved her hands and blurted, "it's like a building pressure! It's like having ADHD and being unable to fidget! If I don't engage with lust, the pressure physically hurts me!" She looked to me helplessly, "I am a demon of hell, a demon of lust, that's what I'm made for. I'm cursed to forever be bound to it, endless lust and no amount of love anywhere in sight. I've lived for hundreds of years and I didn't even know what the word love was!"

I could tell she was close to tears as her hands picked at themselves. I placed my left hand over both of hers and she thankfully gripped onto them. She squeezed my hand and continued, "you are the first man who has seen me for who I am, someone with a soul. Not an object to be used or a tormentor for pleasure, but a being with emotions. I can't contain my urges at times and Hell breaks down every entity to their deepest sin and exploits them for it. There's no sin for love, just lust. It strips everyone of that commodity and degrades the demons as well as the damned. I don't want lust anymore... I want love, this love."

I had a tear in the corner of my eye as tears built up in hers and she was at her boiling point. The floodgates were about to open and I knew she'd be able to let out all of her pent up emotions. She needed this and I knew it, I only need to say a couple of words. However, she made a request before I could, "can.. can I hug you? Not sexually, no lust involved. Just a hug filled with as much love as possible."

I smiled at her and nodded as her eyes grew with delight. Her lips quivered and one tear trickled down. We were about to move together when I heard a loud shout come from outside the door, "HE SAID WHAT?"

We both froze as footsteps stomped towards my door as a swarm of voices followed.

I took my arm off of Modeus and we looked to each other fearfully. She was bridging on tears, needing this hug I promised her. However, before we could embrace or even move, the doorknob turned and the door exploded open.

Light poured into the room as I recognized Malina stamping towards me, fury in her eyes. "Get away from her! She doesn't need this kind of bullshit from you!"

I heard Justice cry out, "Malina stop! You've got it wrong!"

She retorted, "No! You've got it wrong!"

I stood up, stepping between Modeus and Malina as I held out my arm to keep her behind me instinctively.

Modeus went to protest but she was cut off by Malina as she grabbed my shoulders and hauled me off my feet. She shoved me against the wall beside the bed, shaking one of the paintings and breaking the only light that had been on in the room. The only illumination now came from the hallway door.

I groaned from the pain as she yelled, "what were you doing to her you sick bastard?! You haven't left her alone and you haven't kept your damn hands to yourself!"

"Malina, stop this!" I winced as I shifted, seeing Modeus protesting as she wrapped her arms around her body with a terrified look in her eyes. I saw all the other demons outside the door, not knowing what to do.

Justice pushed through, "damnit, Malina, stop!"

The demon didn't budge, just shoving me harder, almost breaking one of my shoulders as she dug her nails into my skin. She didn't look back as she hissed, "you don't have to defend his sorry ass, Modeus! I never trusted him from the beginning and here he was about to take advantage of-"

"Mah-lee-nah... pl-ease..." Modeus begged as her tears broke free.

That made the sour demon freeze. She slowly lowered me to my feet as I winced in pain. She turned around slowly, about to snap again but found herself unable to speak.

Behind her was Modeus as everyone looked to her in shocked silence. The normally shy and demure woman was now shuddering with fear and tears as she covered her mouth with one hand. Her other arm clutched across her stomach, cradling herself as she sunk into grief. She sobbed, her body shaking from the strain as her knees pointed inwards. Not a single heart existed. Where she normally had a few hearts trailing lazily around her skull, the last one dissipated and its trail disappeared, leaving her in darkness. The main illumination in the room now came from her trails of tears which shone as brightly as her pupils. Her tears left stains that shone brightly and intensely in the darkness as if they were a shattered angel halo.

It tore my heart in half to see her like this and I couldn't move.

Justice knew what to do as she stepped forward, snatching Malina's collar and dragging her towards the door. The demon didn't resist, too shocked by the cheerful girl she's always known suddenly broken to tears.

I didn't even watch her after that, I centered all attention on the tearing demon. She wanted to be done with lust, to ignore her urges for once and to experience love. Her one request had been ripped from her grasp and now she stood all alone in the darkness, her tears illuminating her body and accentuating her sorrow.

The intense emotion seeped off of her in waves as it physically pushed against everyone. Her powers of emotion swept off of her as she broke down, sundering the air around her and filling it with her overflowing sorrow. My senses were filled with the intense emotion and it was difficult to even hear her sobs as the tears trailed down her curves, pattering onto the floor.

I took a step towards her and winced in pain, my shoulder undoubtedly bleeding from Malina's nails. Modeus heard it and her eyes opened. Her body still shook as she tried to fight the crying but it only deepened when she saw me. Her pupils shone brightly and I couldn't see her frown deepen behind her hand as only more tears sprung forward. The air thickened, leaving me with a faint feeling of choking as Malina stared at her friend in shock. No one could move, just set into a stunned silence at the event unfolding in front of them.

Not a word was spoken as I took another step, opening my arms towards the poor woman. She couldn't take it any longer. She saw my arms and the air immediately changed.

Modeus lowered her hand and I could see the pain in her countenance. She was feeling so many emotions she couldn't describe as she ran towards me.

We collided, and I felt a wave of relief as I laid my arms around her. She almost toppled me from the force but I kept my footing as I wrapped my arms over her shoulders, pulling her into me. Her hands had hit on the sides of my ribs and then followed upwards along my back. They were on my shoulder blades as she squeezed. I noticed her tail wrap around my torso too, pulling her waist into mine.

The air thinned but it still held its powerful emotion, helping to alleviate Modeus of the burden.

I put my head down, resting it on hers as she buried her head into my chest. I felt the tears begin to stain but I didn't care. Her sobbing only increased tenfold as she shook my body along with her, tears pouring out from years upon years of slow degradation.

Then a heart appeared. It was slow, but as she cried and took in stuttered breaths, she too brought in my scent. That scent reminded her of the comfort I'd given her and the feeling of love I supply. I squeezed her as she did me while whispering things like, "it's okay," "it's alright," and "let it all out," over and over again. That heart came into existence from nothingness as she was reminded of love. It slowly illuminated her, outshining the tears as it burned, swirling around her head. The air returned to normal, it's coldness seeping away as a new emotion began to arise.

Another heart appeared.

And then three appeared.

Then four.

Within minutes, over two dozen hearts now swirled her head, burning brighter and spinning faster than anyone had ever seen before. They lit up the room with their soothing light and reflected the feelings of love she felt onto anyone else who gazed at them. They were made of pure peace and happiness and only emphasized the meaning as she continually sobbed into my chest.

She warmed the air around her as she felt this new emotion, unable to contain it all within her body as it seeped into the air. It hit everyone like a wave again, but a slower and gentler wave this time. This is what shocked every single demon here except for Justice.

The woman still cried, taking her time to let out her pent up emotions over the years. This was difficult for her and she wasn't able to stop and her knees began to falter from the sudden exhaustion she now felt. I lowered myself with her and pulled her into me further, letting her relax. I only saw more hearts appear as she tried to take a deep breath but shuddered and sobbed again.

I rubbed her back gently and softly hushed her, "take your time... I've got you."

She squeezed me further as the hearts flashed brighter for a second. They cast soft shadows around the room and warmed the air around us. I glanced to the side, seeing Malina covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes full of regret. Everyone else was just shocked, stunned into silence as they all gawked. My blush grew as they all stared.

Thankfully, Justice shooed them away silently and they wordlessly obeyed, unsure of what course of action to take. Justice stayed in the room, closing the door softly without a click.

The only light came from the red hearts now and the only sound was Modeus's muffled snivelling. After another moment, we slowly pulled apart, but only slightly. She kept her tail around me and her arms were ready to pull back in any second as she silently protested. I moved my right hand off her back and softly brushed it under her chin. Her head lifted to mine and our eyes met. Her sclera was red and her pupils shone as brightly as the tear trails that illuminated her face. I smiled softly at her and I was pleased to see the corners of her lips curl upwards thankfully. I raised my thumb, brushing her cheek lovingly as I wiped away one of the trails.

Modeus sank into my hand, craving the comfort I offered and her frown only deepened as she received it. She remembered everything she said and it was like she felt it all again. The trail I just wiped away renewed as more tears fell. I whispered, "I've got you," to her again and she couldn't help but start sobbing again.

She slammed her head back into my chest and I embraced her, running my right hand through her hair now as I laid my head against hers. She squeezed me tightly and I returned it for her.

Minutes followed the swirling hearts with wave after wave of love flowing off of her.

I didn't open my eyes again until I heard Malina whisper, "I've never seen her cry before..."

Justice whispered back, "no one has." I looked to see Justice bump Malina's shoulder, "and you attacked the one person trying to help."

Malina looked down at the scolding, knowing she deserved it.

I looked down and saw Modeus' head pulled slightly off my chest. She leaned back softly as her body still shook from a sob once in a while. She looked into my eyes and I smiled warmly to her. I wiped her cheeks again softly and she embraced it, letting me. We both had bright spots where her tears had struck but they all began fading as she forced herself to take a few deep breaths.

She sunk into my eyes as I comforted her, "you deserve this comfort. You deserve this love."

Her countenance threatened tears at the last word again. I went to learn forward but winced in pain from my shoulder.

Her eyes shot open, staring at me worriedly but I shook it off, "it's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing," Malina scolded as she stepped forward slowly. She sunk to my side as Justice coughed into her hand and uttered "liar" under it.

I frowned at them as Modeus placed her hand softly on my shoulder. Wincing again, I decided to speak quickly before they could, "it'll heal. I'm not the priority right now."

Malina stared at us both softly, "you're both a priority. Vandrem..." she admitted to me, "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you. I knew you'd been talking of love and I thought it was all just a cover for your lust but..."

Modeus shook her head to Malina. The demon looked at her questioningly as Modeus wiped her nose with a sleeve. She took a deep breath and mumbled, "I can sense emotions, he hasn't felt any lust at all today. He's been feeling an emotion I'd never felt before, that's why he's different." She looked back to me, "he was feeling love ever since he saw me. That's why he never looked away from my eyes. Isn't that right?"

I stammered and rubbed the back of my head. I realized they all knew anyways as Malina muttered, "it seems so." She turned to the heart-swarmed woman, "Modeus..." the demons looked at each other and I couldn't tell what they were thinking. It was cleared when Malina finished her sentence, "come here."

She opened her arms and they embraced softly with smiles. Justice came over beside me and crouched down beside me. She gave me a thumbs up and I couldn't help but smile with a soft laugh. She helped me stand up as we glanced at the other two demons. They broke off and Malina stood up with regret lingering on her face. I held out my hand for Modeus and she gladly took it, her blush igniting again.

The woman still had dozens of hearts around her and they all spun slightly faster as she slipped an arm around me. We sat onto the bed now as Malina whispered, "I've never seen so many hearts before. I've never seen you so... happy."

Justice retreated back to the door to let us continue. Malina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She straightened her back and asked Modeus, "are you alright? What was that all about anyway?"

Modeus shrunk down slightly and looked up to her, "just something I needed to get off my chest."

I looked proudly at her and she clung to my arm. Malina looked over us and sighed softly, "I've never been so wrong before." Her face firmed, "it'll never happen again."

She backed away awkwardly to Justice and opened the door for both of them. She turned around and was about to leave but turned back to us. Her eyes met mine as she spoke seriously, "I know you already will but I need to ask anyway: take care of her, won't you?"

I nodded to her and wrapped my arm around Modeus with a blush of my own responding, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Malina actually smiled at me uncharacteristically before she closed the door behind her and Justice, leaving me and Modeus alone once again.

I looked down at her demon as she slumped forward slightly, her exhaustion hitting her full force. She wiped one of her eyes as she looked back up to me, "I'm sorry."

I hushed her softly, "you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right and, if anything, I'm proud of you."

Her eyes sparkled, "really?"

I nodded to her as she let out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath, her sobbing had stopped completely by now. While exhaling, she opened her eyes.

I decided to lighten the mood slightly, "I think our secret is out by now."

She scoffed and smiled softly. I couldn't help but just stare at all the hearts around her. She was radiant, casting light around the room, seeming more like an angel right now than a demon with her halo made of hearts.

We slowly moved, both of us feeling the exhaustion now. We didn't have time to clean the broken light and Modeus looked like she was going to pass out. I helped her onto the side of the bed and she laid down gratefully. She blushed when I undid the covers and laid them gently over her.

She sighed deeply and happily as I slowly walked around the bed and to the usual side I slept on. I slipped under the covers, not even removing any clothing.

I turned to the side and saw Modeus looking gently at me, however, her gaze did cross to my shoulder and back to my eyes. She shifted closer to me gently and I fell into her bright eyes. The expression on her face was so happy, so fulfilled.

She slid a hand onto my chest and up to my face, caressing my cheek. I moved towards her, wrapping my arms around her and onto her back comfortably. She giggled happily and blushed yet again, her hearts refusing to dissipate. She sunk into my eyes as I did hers.

Her arms enveloped me as our heads slowly moved closer together. Neither of us could stop as our lips grazed each other's before we moved into one another. Her body pressed against me as I pulled her. Our tongues danced together as our lips moved in rhythm.

After a couple of seconds, we backed apart and I opened my eyes to her bright pupils. I whispered, "thank you... I needed to feel the love just as much as you."

She smiled softly, "I have more to thank you for." She brought one hand up and played with my hair softly whispering, "but for now... sleep tight."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling and leaning slightly into her as my eyes drifted closed. I embraced her one last time and allowed myself to sink into her warmth before sinking into dreams for the night.


	5. Changing Routines

I woke up peacefully and calmly. As soon as I did, I pulled my arms into me with a smile. I felt resistance and I stopped in confusion. I blinked my eyes open and saw a dim red light in front of me. It took a second for my eyes to readjust and center on the small amount of red hearts floating around Modeus' head. She was sound asleep beside me and my left hand was draped around her. Her tail was entwined around my body and her hands clung to my clothing, refusing to let go even as she slept.

The woman had a faint smile on her lips as she dreamed and I couldn't help but smile. I turned ever so slightly to her and leaned on my right hand which was luckily free as I watched over her. She looked so peaceful and no amount of sorrow remained. I lifted my left hand and brushed it along her cheek tenderly. I brushed her hair behind her ear to rest my hand under her chin. She stirred gently as I leaned in, planting a kiss on her forehead.

As I leaned back, her eyes gently fluttered open. A blush immediately erupted onto her face as her eyes met mine. She could help but smile while she lifted her head proudly. I whispered, "good morning, Modeus."

"G' morning, Vandrem."

I smiled at her and stayed for a minute, watching over her. In the meantime, she snuggled into me, not wanting to lose the opportunity. I leaned back and reached down to grab my phone. Modeus followed my hand as I pulled it out and saw that it was 9'o'clock. I sighed, "I guess it's time to get up."

Modeus looked adorable as she refused, mashing her head back into the pillow. I couldn't help but laugh softly as she did so. She slowly unravelled herself from me and pulled the sheets closer against her body.

I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stretched. I made sure to avoid the broken glass as I stood up. I strode over to my dresser, grabbing a new change of clothes from it and my closet. Modeus watched me curiously, her eyes barely peeking above the covers. I smiled at her before entering the bathroom.

It was moments like these where having a bathroom connected to your room was such a blessing.

I quickly freshened up and followed my general morning routine. I felt awkward changing in front of her so I'd come into the bathroom instead. I removed my jacket and shirt as I remembered last night. _My shoulder... shouldn't it be...?_

I examined my right shoulder, expecting large ugly bruises and scabbing puncture wounds from Malina's nails. However, I felt no pain and there was no sign of damage. There were blood smears so I grabbed a cloth, wiping it away with water to reveal perfectly healed skin. There were no bruises and the wounds had closed, leaving a small scar that was only visible upon close up investigation. I turned around, seeing four more on my back, not realizing how hard she'd gripped my shoulder. I stretched it and flexed but everything was normal and it didn't hurt at all.

I took a step back, surprised by everything going on. I rubbed my eyes as I scanned my body for a second. I was toned despite neglecting to workout recently but that may because of my poor diet and forgetfulness when it comes to eating.

I shrugged and went back to changing, about to remove my pants when the door to the bathroom began to open. I panicked and re-buttoned my pants as Modeus spoke while opening the door, "these were outside the door. Malina left a note with... it..."

The demon slowly drifted off as her eyes met mine and then slowly fell downwards. Her face erupted with a red blush as she examined my bare chest, studying every single curve. A sly smile crossed onto her and she had to cover it with a hand as the hearts above her head erupted with a small orange flame, something I'd never seen before.

I blushed as she stared, unable to look away as hearts began popping into existence. I cleared my throat and her eyes didn't even budge. I asked, "what did Malina's note say?"

"Uh..." Modeus mumbled as her blush reddened. She moved her hand off her face as she grabbed a small card from on top of what looked to be clothing. My cheeks burned but her eyes didn't budge while she held it up, "I didn't read it."

I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly asking, "did you uh... want to?"

Modeus realized she was staring and looked to the side, clearing her throat. She looked at the note after glancing back to me a couple of times. She was about to read it as her eyes shifted to the mirror. The woman couldn't look away as she muttered, "I see your shoulder healed well."

I nodded to her and flexed it to make sure it didn't hurt. I saw her eyes grow for a second as she stood onto her toes. She bobbed back down as I stopped, realizing what I was doing. Modeus met my eyes and looked down embarrassed as she began reading the card, "I'm not good at apologies."

I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms, "wait... That's what it actually says?"

Modeus nodded and dropped the card as her eyes moved off it and back onto me. I uncrossed my arms awkwardly and stepped towards her. I could see her blush brightening as she looked up to my face excitedly. I felt too flustered to function as I gently took the pile of clothes out of her hands. Modeus let me do so as she stared with anticipation. I cleared my throat and her eyes met onto mine. She covered her mouth with both hands, trying to hide some of her blush as she turned away slightly.

I laid the clothes down and asked awkwardly, "I'll see what it is... but could I do so in privacy?"

Modeus nodded quickly and wordlessly as her eyes drifted again.

She didn't move.

After a second she jumped saying, "right! Privacy: of course, yeah, _mhmm_ , I can do that." She stepped slowly away, keeping her eyes trained on me the entire time before she tore her vision away. She strode out and closed the door behind her. I noticed, however, that she didn't stride away and I heard a distinct excited squeal on the other side of the door.

I blinked a couple of times before wiping my face. I cleared my throat and calmed myself as I looked back at what Modeus had given me. It looked like clothes, but now that I looked closer, it was dress clothes. Not just any dress clothes, it looked exactly like the kind of fabric the other demons wore for their formal clothes.

I studied it all for a second. The jacket and pants were jet black and sleeker than anything I ever thought I'd see. The tie and shirt were both a deep, dark red with the former being slightly darker than the latter.

I couldn't help my excitement. I had been disappointed that my only formal clothes had been ruined but the joy from Modeus had overridden it completely. Nonetheless, I had to try it on to see if it even fit.

I put on the pants and was shocked to find it fit exactly to my length and waist. I have no idea how they did this, but she knew my exact measurements. I put on the shirt and sighed with comfort when I felt the fabric along my back and chest. This was the best shirt and pants I'd ever worn and it was the weirdest experience. The colour suited me perfectly as I raised the collar and put on my tie.

Lastly was the jacket as I slid my arms into it and flipped it up onto my shoulders. I looked at it in surprise at the slim fit. The jacket and shirt hugged my body and showed off its natural shape. I turned to the side and around completely, admiring the fit. I'd never seen an outfit I loved more on myself than this one and I excitedly brushed my hair and went to flatten out any creases. I wasn't surprised to see that none of the clothes had any creases seeing as how high quality it is.

I prepared myself as I opened the door slowly, seeing Modeus standing outside it with her flaming hearts. She gasped when she saw me and took a step back in surprise as she looked me up and down. Her eyes lit up with glee as she reached out to touch the new jacket. She let her hands roam for a second under it before she forced herself to stop. She took a step back and cleared her throat as I looked at her with a smile. She placed both her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels as she spoke seductively by accident, "you look _damn_ good."

She bit her lip when she finished her sentence and had to cover her mouth as she grew flustered. I laughed softly and spoke back with a low voice, "I could say the same thing about you."

She froze and had to look down at the ground to hide her embarrassment. After a moment she looked back up into my eyes as she couldn't stop herself from smiling, "you'd better stop or I won't be able to contain myself. You know what kind of demon I am."

I adjusted my tie and buttoned my jacket as I looked awkwardly at her, "are you saying you _want_ meto stop?"

Her blush erupted again as she covered her entire face before muttering, "you're definitely making it difficult to decide."

I strode towards the door and placed my hand on the handle, turning back to say, "well we can decide on it within time. I imagine breakfast will be soon."

She looked at me above her hands and stated, "I'm just going to take a cold shower before I go out."

I tilted my head at her but shrugged mentioning, "alright. Take as long as you need." The woman nodded to me and forced herself to look away as she stepped gingerly towards the bathroom. I raised an eyebrow but left her to her business.

I stepped out into the hallway and stretched slightly, letting the door fall closed behind me.

I heard voices, albeit less than usual.

An idea formed in my head as I thought over what Modeus had said. I checked the time and decided I needed to find Pandemonica.

I ventured out into the living room first, surprised to see Malina lying on the couch. Azazel spun a globe while studying it and Zdrada hung over the edge of the couch, looking directly at Malina. Justice was chilling in the chair beside a small desk, her head pointed in my direction and she was the first one to notice me.

"Wanna talk about last night again?" Zdrada annoyed Malina as she poked the annoyed demon with her tail.

"Fuck off," the demon responded, clearly hungover. She must have drunk an extra couple of bottles after her mistake it seems.

Justice ignored them as she gestured towards me asking, "may as well address it though."

Zdrada looked over to me with a surprised, "Vandrem?"

Malina sat up instantaneously, "Vandrem?! Woah." They both stared at me and studied my clothing.

Zdrada pulled a popsicle out of her jacket pocket, "I see you're stealing our style."

Malina spoke quickly as she stood up, "is she alright? Is Modeus okay? Is she mad at me?"

I smiled and shook my head, "no, Malina, she's not mad at you in the slightest. Well... not as much as I can tell. She's doing alright, just wanted to grab a cold shower."

Zdrada scoffed, "that girl and cold showers, I can't stand it. She's the only demon I've known to do that. I hate the things, my biggest turn off to date."

Azazel popped in, "all angels get cold showers."

"And they say heaven is a paradise," Zdrada joked as she rolled her eyes.

Malina pressed further, "what was it all about? Why was she crying?"

Justice leaned in, waiting to hear the answer as she lowered her glasses slightly. I adjusted my tie saying, "I... it's not my place to say. I will say that she's perfectly okay."

Malina frowned but stayed silent. Justice pointed a finger gun at me, "respect."

I looked around and back to Malina, "Has anyone seen Pandemonica?"

Malina answered, "kitchen last I saw. How's the uh... suit?"

I looked down and straightened it out a bit. I glanced back up with a soft smile, "it's an apology accepted."

Malina sighed softly and sunk into an armchair behind her. She pulled a pillow over herself as she responded, "good," before holding it over her face.

I tilted my head slightly at her but turned to the side, opening the closet door and pulling out a towel. I draped it over my left shoulder as I turned the corner to go down.

I waved to them as I strode down the stairs, finding everyone else down there. I saw Cerberus sitting in the corner miserably and I tilted my head to them as I stepped down. The left one mentioned, "we were bad."

The middle continued: "we ate a bowl of pancake batter."

The right one finished: "each."

I raised an eyebrow, remembering Helltaker and Lucifer's deal. I quipped, "well I hope you've learnt a lesson."

"She never does," Lucifer responded. I turned to my right to see her outside the kitchen with a bowl and whisk. Her eyes softened as she looked to me. Her eyes widened in surprise as she studied me, "Is that what Cerb had been requisitioned to Hell for? Who got you that?"

"That would be Malina. Never have I seen her so awkward in asking for someone's measurements. I'm afraid I gave her the wrong one at first." Another voice quipped and I saw Pandemonica sitting at the dining table, scribbling onto her clipboard. I glared at her as my blush flared, my hands instinctively cupping themselves as I held them over my groin.

The eternally tired demon stood up and stared at me, "I could really go for a coffee right now."

"Excuse me, Queen of Hell here was talking first." Lucifer butted back in. She looked to me with soft eyes again, "well, I can't say it doesn't suit you. Tell me, how is dear Mody doing?"

I nodded politely, "she's doing much better, freshening up before she comes down."

Lucifer sighed thankfully, "that's good to hear. Mody's always had an innocence to her and last night had me worried that she had lost that cheerful part of herself. She's the youngest out of us all if you'd believe it."

I smiled and bowed slightly, "honestly, I can believe that. I'm also happy to report that she woke up on the right side of bed."

Lucifer curtseyed happily as she strode back into the kitchen, "good to hear. Keep me updated."

I turned to Pandemonic as she waited patiently. She asked calmly, "is it a cold shower for her as usual?"

I nodded but asked, "why is everyone so focused on the cold shower?"

Pandemonica looked through her notes speaking, "because she is the only demon of lust to ever get cold showers. She has powers to read emotions but she can't control them nor her own. If I had to guess, she uses the showers to control them and literally cool off her lust."

I nodded as it dawned on me, Zdrada's comment now making sense. It made sense with what Modeus told me last night. I cleared my throat as I asked Pandemonica, "walk and talk? Answer one question for me and I'll get you one latte."

Pandemonica studied me and wrote down on her board. She dotted her sentence and spoke, "one question, one latte. It's a fair trade."

She strode alongside me into the kitchen. Helltaker was there cooking pancakes with Lucifer happily. He glanced at me and sputtered out with a smirk, "and I thought you were heaven-bound."

I joked, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. With all these demons around, I fear that my destination will change anyways." He laughed and I chuckled while Lucifer watched us amusingly.

I changed subjects as I began working the machine as Pandemonica prodded me about the question. I started, "this might sound a bit odd but... how long does Modeus usually take in the shower?"

Pandemonica didn't seem phased by the question and answered without even checking notes, "hot showers are averaged at an hour and cold showers are exactly fifteen minutes." She leaned towards me and adjusted her glasses, "I know this is not part of our arrangement but I must pry as to why you ask."

I tugged on my tie for a second and pat on the towel draped around my shoulder, "I thought since she's getting a cold shower I'd throw this towel in the dryer for five minutes and have it warm for her when she gets out."

" _Awwwwww_ that's so sweet of you," Lucifer couldn't help but smile at it as she rested her hand under her chin. Helltaker just smiled at me kindly. She looked to Pandemonica, "remind me to tell my servants to do the same with my towels after every shower."

Pandemonica sighed and wrote it down begrudgingly. Her head snapped back up to me as the latte began steaming into the cup. I was about to talk more but jumped as I saw movement on the windowsill. I jumped to the side in fright as I saw Judgement perched beside the window like a cat.

"What?" She looked at me with a flat face.

I cleared my throat and composed myself, "what on earth are you doing up there?!"

Judgement squinted at me like I was an idiot, which I honestly couldn't blame her for, "I'm on lookout. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But that's the backyard!"

Judgement squinted, "so?"

I didn't bother questioning it anymore as she went back to looking outside. I shook my head and looked back to the working machine with a mystified expression. Pandemonica adjusted her glasses as she waited patiently, her foot tapping against the ground.

The coffee finished after a minute and I handed it to her saying, "remember we traded for this. There aren't any other requirements or obligations."

Pandemonica nodded and said, "deal," as she held out her hand for the handle. I stopped her and held out my hand to shake. She frowned at me but acquiesced and shook my hand. I jumped as I felt what I could only describe as needles wrapping around my hand as I shook with her. Pandemonica reacted similarly with surprised pain as our hands were locked together. I looked down to see blood-red vines sprinkled with sharp thorns wrapping across both our hands and venturing along our wrists--disappearing under our sleeves.

After a couple of seconds, the thorns faded out of existence and our hands released. I looked at the back of my hand to see a small red tattoo of a rose slowly fading away.

I looked up confused and saw the same vine swarming around Lucifer's hand that was outstretched to us. She retracted it and the thorned vines disappeared. She shrugged, "I'm not sorry, she said deal and I couldn't help myself."

I flexed my hand as the pain subsided completely as I looked at her in fear. Lucifer quickly explained, "deal-making is what I do, remember? I'm Lucifer. The deal you just made is now reinforced and is virtually unbreakable unless one of you dies before the deal is complete."

I frowned, "what happens if someone tries to break the deal?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow with amusement, "don't hand Pandemonica her promised coffee and find out."

I looked at her questioningly but was too curious not to. I held the coffee out to Helltaker for a moment before I felt a searing pain in my hand. I winced as I brought the coffee back towards me, my hand I'd made the deal with now having a phantasmal thorn piercing it.

Lucifer laughed, "each subsequent infraction incurs heavier prices as well as those prices being affected by the severity of the infraction. If you're moronic enough to agree to one of my more diabolical deals: a single infraction could prove fatal."

I nodded to her while in pain as I gladly handed Pandemonica her coffee. I watched curiously as the rose tattoo reappeared as Pandemonica's hands clasped around the mug. It glowed a brilliant white before evaporating and disappearing forever.

"Your side of the deal is now complete. However, Pandemonica here is unable to harm you nor hold you accountable to any arrangement for this specific coffee other than the question you'd asked for earlier."

Pandemonica took a long drag of the coffee and I watched fearfully as her horns grew twice their size. She lowered the mug and grinned to me, "oh I'll find a way." The demon immediately grit her teeth in pain as a thorn stabbed her.

Lucifer let out a quip, "oh yeah, loopholes are an automatic minor infraction."

I bowed to Lucifer as Pandemonica strode away angrily, gripping her mug of coffee as she slumped down beside the table. Lucifer curtseyed yet again as I thanked her. She replied, "don't thank me for that, I can't help myself when it comes to a deal." She lifted one of her arms and it immediately turned blood red without a trace of her regular pale skin showing as she chuckled, "I've made millions of deals." She grinned, "though if you ask me, they can be a real bi-"

The devil began choking for air, a thorn jabbing her in the neck and she swatted at it like a mosquito. She winced as she regained her breath admitting, "aw fuck, forgot about that one. Can't insult a deal."

I nodded curiously to her as I began striding away, "sounds like hell if you ask me."

She scoffed, "you're telling me." She got pricked by the same thorn again and she cursed at it, only being rewarded with an extra thorn. She bit her lip to stop herself from insulting it again.

I smiled at her and I could tell Helltaker was intrigued while trying to hold his laughter. I turned the corner as I heard him let out a bark followed by a crack of a wooden spoon that curtly cut off his laugh.

I made my way back upstairs and past Cerberus who obeyed her timeout.

I went back up to the living room and opened a sliding door within the hall. I frowned upon realizing both the washer and dryer was full of Helltaker's clothes which he neglected to further the process on.

I closed the door with a mote of frustration and looked down at the towel. My frown deepened before I noticed Zdrada lean on the wall beside me. She was almost done with her popsicle as she popped it out of her mouth. She pointed it at me asking, "who shit in your cereal?"

I looked up to her unamused, "no one, just wanted to use the dryer but _someone_ never fully cleans their clothes." I glared towards the stairs at the mention of Helltaker but I knew he'd never hear me and shouting wasn't worth it.

Zdrada analyzed her fingernails and asked without looking up, "you're serious? I'm standing right here."

I bit my tongue as I thought about making a joke and telling her, _I wish you weren't,_ but I was worried about her breaking my nose in response.

Instead, I just raised an eyebrow at her as she rolled her eyes. She snapped her fingers and I watched with mild interest as a small flame rose from each of her fingertips, congealing into one flame. She shook her hand, extinguishing the flames, and examined her nails again.

I slowly realized that her demon power must be conjuring fire, which makes sense as I've seen her smoke but she never had a lighter.

I cleared my throat and held out the towel to her asking, "so do you think you'd be able to warm this up?"

"You're sure you don't want it on fire? Shit's no fun without a little flame."

I shook my head to the pyromaniac, "no, just toasty warm would be nice."

Zdrada bit one of her nails before asking, "what's in it for me?"

I groaned as I thought. I fumbled with my words and I rubbed my hands together. Before I could speak, however, she grinned meticulously, "you can stop panicking, I'll do it free of charge for you this one time." She stepped closer and whispered, "for Modeus, not you."

She shrugged and finished off her thoughts, "we've all got a soft spot for the girl."

She laid her hand on my arm and a deep orange glow emanated from her fingertips. As they glowed, I felt the heat conduct from her hand to the towel. My arm heated slightly too as the fabric was draped over it.

After only a few seconds she raised her hand back up and shook it lightly. She didn't even look up to me before she pushed herself off the wall and walked away. She effortlessly jumped over the back of the couch and landed right beside an annoyed Malina currently losing a game of Heroes 3.

I shrugged it off and folded the towel nicely. I made my way back to the door of my bedroom. I gently twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, forgetting how dark the room was without any internal light. Luckily, the bathroom light was on and the door ajar. I checked my phone, knowing she'd be stepping out in about two minutes.

I moved swiftly yet silently as I slipped beside the door. I could see in the mirror that the shower curtain was closed which I let out a soft prayer for.

I gently pushed the door open and reached a hand around, guiding my hand by looking at the mirror. I grabbed the towel off the door and flipped it over my shoulder. I froze, seeing her delicately folded clothing on the countertop. A deep red blush grew along my face as I saw blood-red underwear lying beside them. I couldn't help but stare for a moment before ripping my eyes away.

I placed the warm towel on the countertop. I eyed it for a moment to make sure it was set out elegantly. I deemed it would catch her attention as I backed off.

I gently held the handle and closed the door, flooding the room into darkness, with the only illumination coming from the hallway. My timing felt impeccable as I heard the running water cease.

I snuck over to the hallway door and looked back, knowing Modeus would be finding the towel any second.

Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath. My goal accomplished, I began to think about what to do. It wasn't easy with all these demons around but I wanted to just relax for a second. Firstly though, I needed a new lamp.

I made my way downstairs and the girls looked at me with their ears down in penance. I sighed to them, "if you want to serve," their ears perked, "I could use some company while I go out shopping."

I heard clattering in the kitchen as Lucifer slid into the living room, her eyes staring daggers into me. She clutched the bowl of pancake batter she's been nursing as she spoke with shock evident in her expression, "what did you just say?"

I took a half step back as she glared. I cleared my throat nervously as I asked, "I thought it'd be nice for them to get some fresh air?"

" ** _No!_** " The devil shouted, her livid voice sundering the air as it sank an octave, her hellish accent appearing. Her voice echoed supernaturally and it felt like the house shook for a second.

I looked around fearfully as I took a couple of steps back, realizing everyone, even the ones from upstairs, were watching in faint surprise. My throat closed as Zdrada announced with an excited laugh, "oh she's _pissed!"_

Cerberus backed towards the wall as they glanced to their master questioningly as Lucifer darted forward, dropping her bowl and letting the batter splatter over the floor and her shoes. She slid in between Cerberus and I, holding her arms out wide to shield the girls.

This time, when Lucifer spoke it was her regular voice. "Don't you dare take her! Anyone but her..." I wasn't able to tell if she was commanding me or pleading and my panic didn't help my rationalization.

It was Justice who pushed through the crowd and began descending the stairs first before I could say a word, "Lucy... it was only a question."

Lucifer looked up to the ex-High Prosecutor with the same daggers she stared at me. The woman's expression quickly relaxed and she looked to me with a new shock in her eyes. The devil stammered, "I just... I don't want Cerberus going out... uh," she glanced around nigh-franticly, "because... I need her help cleaning up the batter!"

I looked behind her to an equally shocked Helltaker who timidly peeked around the corner, not wanting to face the wrath of what I'd just been shown. Her bowl, and its content, lay scattered across the floor.

Lucifer looked back to me and I could see the apology in her eyes. She dusted herself off, not seeming to care that she was smearing batter along her apron. It wasn't until Justice spoke that she relaxed slightly, "you know, I can just go with him instead."

Lucifer nodded repeatedly, "that is a great idea, yes! You go with him and I will keep Cerberus here where she's-" she cut herself off before she could say the next word. She took a deep breath and regained some semblance of her composure, "I need her help with the cooking anyway."

Without any other words, Lucifer turned around and quietly ushered Cerberus towards the spill. Justice stared at her in utter surprise, her jaw dropped slightly. However, she shook herself and turned to me casually. She was about to speak when she looked up to the gawkers. The blind woman sensed their presence as she shooed them, and the ones on our own floor, away, "get out of here, nothing to see."

They all grumbled and walked away, Pandemonica staying back for a moment to get in the last word, "most don't get off the hook so lightly when Lucifer's temper is involved."

I gulped nervously as Justice rolled her eyes. She took off her sunglasses and placed one hand on my shoulder saying, "take a deep breath, you didn't do anything wrong."

Glancing behind her, I saw Cerberus slowly begin cleaning alongside Lucifer who stayed by her side as much as possible. Despite how filled with fury she had been, Lucifer now crouched beside Cerberus, incessantly petting her and speaking with comfort. She looked back to me for a moment and I could detect a hint of shame in her eyes. The woman looked away as Justice continued, "Lucy and Cerberus have a very close relationship. Don't take it personally when she gets territorial or protective over the trio. It's happened to the rest of us."

I forced myself to relax, letting my arms fall to my sides and taking a deep breath as Justice had recommended. Once I trusted my voice, I responded, "it was just very... unexpected, I guess."

"You get used to it. Just try not to separate them from Lucy." Justice smiled as she put her shades back on. She gestured behind me, "so, where to?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, grabbing the minivan keys and stepping into the foyer. "It'll just be a trip for a new lamp."

Justice strode in, nearly forgetting about the two steps that lead down, "ah yes, I can remember the shattering of glass distinctly last night." Her smile was uplifting as I looked at her. That was until her smile slowly died while glancing back the way we'd came.

I couldn't see into her eyes and they never showed much emotion anyways, but I could clearly see something was bothering her.

I asked, "Is everything alright? I thought it was normal for Lucifer to be protective..."

Justice waved her hand to me, "it is... it completely is. I just..." Justice turned to me with baffled body language.

"I've never heard her lie like that before." 


	6. In The Interest Of Justice

"She must have had a good reason."

"Of course she did, she's Lucy. She's got a good reason for everything."

I thought over Justice's reasoning as I opened her door for her. She stepped into the beige minivan easily, albeit having to find exactly where the seat was first. I let the door fall closed as I walked around, entering into the driver's seat and fattening my seatbelt.

"You sure you don't want me to drive?"

I turned my head slowly like a gargoyle as I glared at Justice who just waved it off. As I looked at her, I could still see the distracted look on her expression as she held a balled-up fist under her chin. I decided to change the subject as I put the key into the ignition and turned it.

Sputtering was heard as the engine came to life and I began pulling out of the driveway. I decided to try and approach a new subject, one I've been curious about for a while.

"So... about Cerberus..." I started. Justice glanced over as she lowered her sunglasses a smidgen to expose her clouded eyes. I continued, "how does she work? Are they like triplets or something?"

The sunglasses slid back up as Justice grinned, "I see where you're getting that from, but no. Cerberus is a she, singular."

I opened my mouth to refute but Justice cut me off, "I bet you're going to say, 'but there are three of them,' which you're not wrong about. There may be three bodies but she's only got one soul."

I tilted my head, even more, confused about how that even worked. Justice sensed it as she took a deep breath. Boots appeared in the edge of my sight as Justice slouched, raising her legs onto the dash.

"Think of it like this: Cerberus was born from hellfire. Although she was unique, her soul didn't come purely from Hell's energy, a piece of her came from something that once lived within Lucifer. Some say it was her playfulness or her curiosity. I'm not sure, even to this day. All I know is that it imbued Cerberus to act the way she does now."

I raised my hand timidly, not wanting to cut her off. She looked at me, sensing I had a question, so I asked, "so... Lucifer is Cerberus' mother?"

Justice looked ahead as she adjusted her jacket in thought. "Being her actual mother is a bit of a stretch, but I will say that it makes Lucifer feel like one whenever she's around her. Huh, maybe that's why she's so protective."

I pointed a finger at her, "that's what I was thinking."

Justice lowered her glasses for a moment with a grin, "then you're smarter than you look."

I smiled with the compliment before realizing it was backhanded. "Hey!" I shouted as Justice just chuckled.

She continued, delving into her storytelling now, as the wind outside whistled along, "regardless of their relationship, Cerberus was created as one of the most unique of demons. Cerberus is one entity, one instance. She is all of the girls at the same time, her consciousness spread across all three. She will always fall asleep at the same time, synced with the others. I bet you've noticed that she spreads her sentences across the girls."

_Mhmm_

"Yeah, no one knows why she does that."

I looked curiously over, "dramatic effect?"

Justice showed off her teeth with a grin, "I don't care what the reason is but that's the official one in my books." She readjusted her footing as she asked, "Is there anything to eat out here? I'm starving."

I switched lanes asking, "want a coffee and egg sandwich?"

"Bro, you read my mind." Justice held out a fist for me and I lightly heartedly tapped it with my own. She went back to her story, "Cerberus can mess with you too. There have been many times where she's pulled pranks because of her overflowing excitement. She can be in three places all at the same time and perfectly coordinate without the need for talking. You know that every single one of the girl's memories is retained by the others too?"

I thought about it for a second asking, "so she experiences everything three times instead of just once?"

The blind woman gave me a thumbs up, "I swear it's like a multiplier sometimes. Whatever she is feeling is amplified by the others which is why punishment for disobedience is so effective when they're together. She's an enigma, to say the least." Justice scratched her chin as she ran a flat hand over the front of the dash, feeling all the buttons as she mentioned, "Modeus is the second most attached person to Cerberus. She's like a babysitter sometimes. God knows she's the only one that can actually put Cerberus to sleep on time. Then there's also the voracious appetite since she needs three times as much food as the rest of us. Hey, what does this do?"

Justice grabbed a random knob as she felt the serrations on the side of the dial. She turned it without waiting for my response and was immediately met with a rush of cold air hitting her face.

She sat up in excitement, "dude is this thing a convertible?! Yes! I've always wanted to be in one of these!"

I cleared my throat as I adjusted the knob to lower the fans, "uh... no. That's the air conditioning."

Justice slouched back down with an embarrassed frown. "Oh... that's pretty cool too, I guess."

Smiling at the woman, I couldn't help but laugh at her expense. Surprisingly, she wasn't offended and just chuckled along with a light-hearted grin.

It wasn't long until we pulled up into the drive-through for a cafe. I ordered a double-double for myself as well as two sandwiches. The demon ordered a black coffee to pair her meal.

I saved my sandwich for later while Justice dug into hers within seconds. I was always amazed by how often demons ate as her meal barely lasted a minute.

She was content on letting her stomach settle as we listened to music for the rest of the journey. 

It was about twenty minutes later when we exited the van and entered the fresh crisp morning air. Justice took a deep breath as she listened to the rustling of trees and chirping of birds that were barely audible amongst the nearby shoppers. Her tail wrapped around her torso while she hugged herself softly whispering, "now this is a once in a lifetime experience." She looked over to me with a sly grin and gently held out her arms, "now if you'd be a dear and lead a poor old blind woman to the doors..."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop myself from smiling as I held out my elbow. Justice wrapped her elbow against mine, the inner parts of our arms touching. She placed her left hand delicately on my forearm to let me guide her as she gestured forward where most of the noise originated. She whistled softly as her hand brushed the fabric of my new clothes, "damn, Malina really got you a genuine set from hell."

I nodded proudly, "I love it."

"You're not the only one, nothing else can even compare."

We began striding as I decided to ask a question that's been on my mind, "have you ever been in the mortal world?"

 _"_ Once or twice, never this far in though," she hummed while looking around. It took me a moment to remember she wasn't looking but more so listening. I pressed further as our soles rapped along the asphalt in the parking lot. "Your power... how exactly do you sense people?"

Justice raised an eyebrow and spoke, "Oh, that? Easy. I know simple personality traits and major things that decide if someone is hellbound or not. That and it happens to show me exactly where they are in reference to my location. If only it did the same with walls."

I nodded along and decided to press my luck, "what do you sense about me?"

Justice stared at me, analyzing before she answered, "well... you give off a sense of mysteriousness since I always have trouble reading the sinless. However, I do know that you purposefully found Helltaker at that cafe; it wasn't just coincidence that he was there."

I smirked at the memory, still proud of that moment. However, I wasn't keen on him finding out about it as I looked around as if he'd be right there. Justice quipped, "I also know you're humble. Too humble to even admit it."

Opening my mouth to object, I had to stop myself realizing I'd be cementing her point. I just frowned and mumbled under my breath. We didn't have time to talk more before we stepped up onto the sidewalk and through the sliding doors.

This store was always one of my favourites. It could feel like a maze sometimes but I would always find exactly what I was looking for. The air felt regulated with the air conditioning and a soft buzz of machinery above us. It felt familiar to me but foreign to Justice as she let go of me, taking a couple steps forward. She listened intently asking, "what is that sound? Don't you dare say bees."

I laughed softly, "it's just the fans for the AC. Or at least I think that's what it is."

Justice raised an eyebrow curiously as she spun in place, letting it all fill her senses. I shook my head as I turned to the side, walking off to grab a basket in case we got anything else.

I could smell the in-store bakery nearby, my mouth watering at the thought of a soft, fresh bread roll. I guess I'd gotten distracted by the thought as I arrived back to Justice, seeing a little boy approaching her. His clothes were tattered and dirtied by what could only be weeks of caked-on dirt and mud. His hair was dishevelled and greasy as he tiptoed up to her, somehow knowing she wasn't able to see him.

Before I realized what was going on, the boy got behind Justice as she turned, rubbing her chin in thought. The boy reached forward slowly, slipping a hand into the opening of her right pant pocket. I cursed under my breath, realizing he was about to pickpocket her.

I began running over, about to call out to Justice as the boy pulled a plastic bill out of her pocket much more quickly than I'd expected him to.

However, Justice moved faster than I did as, without turning her torso or head, her right hand reached back and latched onto the boy's forearm. He cried out in surprise and a few people looked over. Once they saw the way he was dressed, most people just kept on walking.

I cleared my throat as I strode close. The boy was whimpering in fear as Justice turned to him, crouching down to his height. He couldn't be more than ten years old as tears sprung to his eyes, his voice welling up inside him.

Staying silent, I watched as Justice handled the situation. She took the $20 bill out of his fingers as she asked, "stealing from me? I'm pretty sure that counts as a sin."

The boy shook his head to her.

"Oh? And what were you going to use this money for?"

Fumbling with her hand, trying to get her to let go, the boy couldn't help but just whimper. Justice took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. She raised her sunglasses to let them rest on top of her head and spoke soothingly, "look, kid, I'm not gonna hurt you--not my job. I just want to know why."

Justice, in an act of good faith, let go of his arm. The boy took a couple of steps back, preparing to run but something made him stop. He stared into Justice's eyes as she smiled to him kindly, tilting her head. She questioned him again, "so what were you going to do with the money? What exactly would you buy?"

He pressed his hands together embarrassed as he cried softly. "H-hungry. My sister needs food, we both do. I don't want to starve, I want to live." He looked up to her fearfully, "I promise I didn't want to do it! I don't like stealing but it's the only thing I can do!"

Justice looked down for a moment as she thought. She sighed heavily as she looked up to him, a mote of pity in her smile. "There is one thing you can do." Justice slipped the $20 back into her right pocket as he looked down shamefully, "if you keep being honest and _don't_ steal from people, then you'll get out of this alright."

He looked up to her in surprise and wiped away some of his tears, "y-you're not going to hurt me?"

Justice shook her head and smiled brightly at him. "No no, not in the slightest. But if you ask me..." Justice trailed off as she dug into her left pocket and pulled out a $50 bill, "you should have checked the other pocket."

She held out the money to the child with one last sentence and a wink, "although if you ask me, I didn't see anything."

The boy timidly approached her as he slowly put his hand around the money. Stepping back with hesitancy, he couldn't help but look upon the demon with glee. He spoke gratefully as tears sprung to his eyes for a new reason, "thank you, thank you. You're an angel!"

With that, the boy turned and ran towards the bakery I could still smell the bread from. Justice stood up and watched him go, "not quite, kid."

I smirked, "not often you see a demon helping people."

Justice raised an eyebrow at me, "what do you mean? I'm a demon and I punish evil. That kid is like you, he's heaven-bound. I want to help keep it that way, all demons do. Why do you think all the girls at home are so nice to you?"

I raised an eyebrow at her as I lost myself in thought. I asked, "that's called being nice? What about Helltaker?"

Justice scoffed, "oh him? He's hellbound for sure. Seriously, you wouldn't want to see them facing someone who's committed a few atrocities. They all favour a certain type of person to torture; we've all got a _type_ when it comes to that."

"Huh," I hummed in thought, not realizing how sadistic they could all be. A silent prayer floated upwards from my thoughts, asking that I never face their wrath.

Justice finished off her earlier thought as the child bounced around a corner and out of sight, "If he'd lied to me about what he'd use the money for, I would have given him nothing."

To be honest, I was surprised. I always thought demons had attempted to make people sin against their will. Seeing this, seeing how Justice fed the child for being truthful to her, lifted my spirits. It made me think of what Azazel said and that if in breaking the law someone is aligning to common moral laws, they wouldn't be charged with sin.

The world was becoming a suddenly smaller place and it was getting harder and harder to find something unfamiliar in it.

I shook myself out of my thoughts as I held out my arm for Justice again asking, "well that was nice of you nonetheless. Shall we?"

Justice grinned, "we shall," as she pulled off one of the clips on her tie that kept it settled on her shirt. I watched in mute amazement as she held it in front of her, pointed down and clicked a button on the top of it while squeezing. The bottom of the circular clip extended and I now saw what it was hiding. Inside the clip, there were stacks of cylinders, all sequentially smaller than the next like a Russian nesting doll. They all fell towards the ground, each cylinder sliding a bit before stopping and shoving the next downward. It only took a second before it fully extended and clicked to lock the cylinders in place. She took out a rubber ball and stuck it on the end as she asked, "what? You thought that it was just a tie clip?"

My jaw dropped and I'm sure she heard when I shut it with an audible click. I rubbed the back of my head, "I uh... yeah, I did."

Justice scoffed and tilted her head down slightly so that her sunglasses fell back over her eyes. She pointed a finger gun at me while leaning on her walking stick slightly, "functionality _and_ style, baby."

_Damn, that was smooth._

I still don't know how she manages to get cooler and cooler every time she opens her mouth. Not even Helltaker would ever be near her level of pure unadulterated awesome.

However, the demon turned to me as we began walking, her new stick tapping on the ground as we strode, "I did give the kid the fifty right? I couldn't remember which pocket it was in and I just guessed."

I laughed quietly before telling her, "yes, you guessed right."

Justice straightened her back admitting, "good, I'd gotten worried for a second. So, which way?" 

I directed us through a couple of aisles, Justice being careful whenever her walking stick bumped against a wall near corners. I guided her as I've seen Judgement do before. It was barely a few minutes before we got to the furniture section. After another few minutes of deciding on what kind of lamp, I decided to go for a relatively cheap one that closely resembled my old light.

I carried the box in my arms as we strode back. It was easy to find a checkout and the teller was surprisingly friendly. She even complimented our "cosplays" while looking at Justice's horns and tail. The demon had simply grinned brighter and thanked her. She was trying not to laugh as we strode away, leaving the building while she replaced her tie clip. She hooked her elbow in mine again as we began walking back.

"A cosplay? Never gotten a comment like that before but it's the perfect cover," Justice laughed.

I couldn't help but grin, "it does make sense though."

Justice was about to respond before freezing, her smile dropping slightly as she looked ahead of us. I frowned, following her view. I stopped suddenly, Justice following suit as we both met eyes which were just as surprised as ours.

It was an angel--standing right here in front of us. A tall, well-built man stood in front of us with his arms at his sides. He wore a bright white suit with every single piece of his clothing as stainless as possible. He had golden cufflinks as well as a golden lapel pin over his left breast. Apart from his golden tie, the rest of his clothing all shone a brilliant white. The man had piercing blue eyes and his blond hair was well-groomed. His jaw was squared and finely carved with a five o'clock shadow.

_Wait... that's no angel._

As the man undid his suit jacket, letting it flow free, I noticed something about him.

"Talk to me," Justice urged with a sudden boom within her voice that galvanized me to obey.

"He's dressed in all white. Looks like an angel but-" I was cut off by her voice as she sighed heavily.

"Let me guess, golden tie and no halo above his head?"

Justice unlinked our arms as she stood beside me with her back straight and arms crossed. I wrapped both arms around my precious lamp with a sudden fear clasping around my heart, "I- uh... yeah. How'd you know?"

Justice hissed with a whisper, "he's a demon hunter."

"There's no fuckin' way..." The man muttered as he stared at us. He flexed his fingers nervously as he stood up straight. He straightened his tie as his eyes met mine, "I wasn't expecting to see you here, _Lucifer_."

"You got my name wrong, kid," Justice retorted, all sense of friendliness filtered out of her both physically and emotionally.

The man squinted at her as I whispered to the side, "he was uh... talking to me."

Justice frowned as her face scrunched together slightly, "now that's just sexist."

The mystery man took a step towards us, his voice rising as if he were performing a ceremony for a crowd, "what is it you seek here?! To corrupt our souls?! To leech our life and send us to an eternity of punishment?!"

I took a step back out of fright asking Justice, "Is this guy serious?"

Justice didn't bother responding as she whispered to herself, "damn extremists." She turned to me, "get behind me."

I did as she commanded without a second thought. I had to ask: "shouldn't we just get out of here?"

Justice rolled her neck, "he's between us and your car. Plus..." her grin filtered back as she raised her eyebrows for a split second. She held up her hands as she adjusted her gloves and then cracked her knuckles menacingly, "... Lucy didn't gift these gloves to me for my prosecutions."

She turned away from me as the man shouted yet again while he stepped closer, now within fifteen feet of us, "I'll send you both back to Hell where you should have stayed! Heaven won't tolerate your presence on our mortal plane!"

Justice cleared her throat as she stepped closer to him, "you speak about Heaven but let me be the first to tell you that-" she waved a hand in front of her nose as she pinched it closed with the other, "you _reek_ of sin."

I hugged my box as I took a step back, not wanting to get close as Justice provoked him. The sun beat down on us, the asphalt amplifying it as I felt a trickle of sweat trail down my brow. I knew the sweat was from the tension I felt inside my body, but I was still going to blame it on the heat. 

The angel lookalike frowned and grit his teeth as he took a step, pointing at Justice as he shouted, "don't antagonize me, cretin!" They were within a sword's length of each other as he continued, "you _will_ leave earth and return to your hole in the ground!"

Justice leaned forward with both her hands balled up under her chin as she pursed her lips. She spoke with a voice someone would use while playing with a puppy, " _awwwwww, wook at the pwetty wittle kitten with his empty thweats."_

I hugged my box as I watched in mute terror. I've always been conflict-averse and I've never been in an actual fight; now, as I watched his eyes grow with fury and his right arm reaching back with his hand balled into a fist, I knew that was going to change.

He threw a forceful right hook while Justice stood stock-still, keeping her torso leaned forward and head pushed out. She brought her hands down to her hips and braced as her opponent pivoted into her.

A meaty smack was heard as his blow struck true, snapping Justice's head to the right and forcing her to stumble backwards. Her body jerked backwards, stepping towards me to keep herself from falling. I heard glass shatter as the man grinned sadistically, watching Justice stumble in pain. The demon stopped just in front of me as I watched her breathe heavily for a moment. She placed a hand on top of the box I held as she straightened her back.

Justice's sunglasses were broken.

The left lens was shattered and missing as the frame was bent and distorted. There was a small cut along her cheekbone which let out a minuscule trickle of blood down her petite jowl.

Her eyes were closed as she inhaled through her nose. She exhaled through her mouth as she reached up, removing what was left of her sunglasses and dropped them on the ground. She opened her eyes as she tilted her head down. It was as if she was looking right through me as her adrenaline rushed and she slowly began to smile.

This smile was new.

No longer did she smile with sarcasm or to enforce a joke.

Justice smiled as she now knew what this man deserved and how to punish him.

This man was exactly her type.

Her eyes glinted with anticipation as she unclipped her jacket from around her shoulders. The demon wiped a minute amount of blood off her bottom lip as she threw her suit jacket over the box I held with white knuckles. This smile of hers was uncontrollable as it showed off her partially-bloodied teeth.

She turned around and I took a few more steps back as my heart pounded in my ears.

The man glared at her with pride, knowing how his strike would have disoriented her. However, his smile slowly faded as Justice turned to him, his eyes meeting hers.

The woman spoke with a new hiss under her words, "you know... back in the day, they used to call me Lady Karma- She loosened her tie as she lowered her head, "-and I can almost _taste_ the bad karma you've built up."

Her opponent glared at her as she stepped silently towards him, her hands slowly raising into fists that she held casually in front of her. He squinted as her stance widened. He looked away with a scoff as he took a step forward, "sheesh, big talk from a blind woman. This'll be a walk in the park."

I blinked my eyes, unsure of what exactly to do as I noticed the bystanders around me just gawking. I heard one of them whisper, "this acting is amazing!" I didn't bother looking at the individual as I kept my eyes on Justice, praying that she knew what she was doing.

I watched as the man stepped towards her without any fear. He smirked as he cracked his knuckles and reached his left arm back, preparing to strike her as he had before.

The man swung as hard as possible, throwing his body forward and taking a step with it. However, his eyes widened as Justice moved with lightning speed and a glow of excitement in her eyes. It was like she slid on the ground to the right, as if it were ice, while she side-stepped. She reached her right arm back as the man finished his step, unable to stop his motion as he looked to the side at her. I could see Justice wink as she swung at him.

A couple of the bystanders winced as her fist made solid contact, just as his fist had on her earlier. His head snapped to the side and carried his body with him. Justice pivoted to the left, adding more force as her torso turned into him. She had to take a step forward with her right foot just to keep her fist from pulling her to the ground as she followed through.

The man could barely keep his footing as he stumbled away from her, his neck almost snapping from the impact. He slowly stood back up after recovering his footing, holding his jaw as he looked back with surprise to Justice.

However, he only saw her approaching him when she got right in front of him. He panicked, pulling out a white cross and shoving it into her chest. Justice didn't react, not seeing the harm in his experiment. It bumped against her harmlessly and she just glared at him, her smile growing as she asked, "really?"

His eyes grew with realization as Justice grabbed his wrist with her right hand, jabbing her left fist into his ribs. He yelped in pain and jerked to the side. He ripped his arm away from her and tried to throw a hook, one that she pushed to the side as if it were nothing. The man kept on the offence, stepping forward to throw another hook, but Justice was simply too quick for him.

She turned to the left, raising her right foot and exhaling as she shoved it forward, her entire body shifting an inch across the ground from the force. I heard a rib crack as she struck true, shoving the man back as he clutched his chest painfully.

He groaned in pain as he glared at her, his hand slipping into a jacket pocket. Justice smirked as she walked up to him, putting her hands on her hips proudly. She raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid that he uncapped. He thrust it forward, splashing the liquid out of the container towards Justice.

The demon simply just crossed her arms and stepped to the side. It flew harmlessly past her as she took a deep whiff. She turned away in disgust as she covered her nose, "holy water? Geez, you guys are just the _worst_."

The man groaned in pain as he stood up hissing, "just shut up already!" He outstretched a hand, trying to grab at Justice to try and pin her down. She raised an eyebrow as she grabbed his middle finger, pushing it upwards as his hand stretched.

The man screamed as he stopped, falling to his knees instinctively to keep his finger from breaking. Justice tilted it further back and she smiled with a glow in her clouded eyes, "look at the one who won't _shut up_ now."

She pushed his finger slightly more as he whimpered. Justice rolled her eyes and let go, allowing the man to stand up as he glared at her with a deep hatred. She readjusted a glove without looking, deciding what to do. Rolling her shoulders, she decided to end this.

Justice darted forward while moving to the left. The man turned to defend but moved too early as Justice changed direction, shifting to the right. Her left fist drove into his chest and struck his broken rib. Air was forced from his lungs as she turned into him, jabbing her right into the soft flesh between his hip and ribs.

The fake angel jerked to the side, holding his side with both hands as Justice walked casually towards him. She didn't let him gain any distance as he panicked and tried to grab at her eyes to buy himself some time. She tilted her torso to the side and his hand reached past her as she reached up, grabbing his forearm with both hands.

Bystanders watched in awe at the performance as Justice used her small stature to her advantage. She jumped, curving her back and placing her right foot onto his sternum and her left onto his stomach. Her weight pulled him forward as his arm tilted towards the ground. Justice's back rolled into the ground smoothly as she pulled him and then let go, letting momentum do the rest.

As he was forced above her, the demon placed her palms above her head onto the ground beneath her and pushed out with her legs so that he didn't roll onto the ground safely as she had. Instead, his trajectory changed into a projectile. His feet left the ground as Justice rolled with him, her own feet shoving him upwards.

Like a motion in dance, Justice threw him off her and everyone watched him sail through the air for a second before landing on his stomach. He skid along the searing asphalt before turning to the side and rolling uncontrollably. As he received his road burn, Justice used her core muscles to stop her momentum and pushed off the ground with her hands to perform a kip-up. She used the motion her legs were already in and her back lifted off the ground with the momentum, her hands rotating her forwards. Curving in the air, Justice landed cleanly on her feet and stood up straight with a smirk as she looked back at her opponent.

The man groaned in pain, struggling to get up yet alone breath as he looked back at us with mixed fear and fury. He was smart to push himself off the ground and begin hobbling away, looking back periodically to make sure we weren't chasing him.

Justice tilted her head but just shrugged as she turned back to me, surprised to hear the cheering of the bystanders.

"Amazing performance! Ten out of ten!" One of them shouted as they dispersed with bright smiles. I ignored them as I stepped forward, my legs still shaking with fear but much more calm now as I watched the man limp away in defeat.

Justice strode up to me casually, taking deep breaths to calm herself. I cleared my throat, "holy _shit!_ When did you learn to do that?!"

Justice closed her eyes, taking a deep inhalation through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. She opened her clouded eyes, the glint of excitement in them dispersed as her natural grin drifted back. Taking her jacket and slipping it back over her shoulders she replied, "oh that?"

I knew she was pausing for effect but I still stared in awe as she clipped her jacket onto her shirt. Pulling out a second pair of sunglasses identical to the first and slipping them on, she continued, "a couple of millennia of experience."

Noticing my hands were cramping, I forced myself to relax and take a deep breath as she had done. She looked up to me asking, "you alright? You don't seem like the kind of guy to get into many fights."

I shook my head repeatedly, "that's Helltaker's forte, not mine. Damn though, remind me to never go out without you."

"I'll be happy to come along if I get to do that again. Come on," Justice waved to me as she began walking towards the way the man had run. I had to jog for a moment while looking around in fear to catch up to her. She laid a hand softly on my forearm as we strode, only taking a few seconds to find the van. I practically threw myself in, tossing the box into the backseat and slamming my door closed. Justice opened her door and stepped in, closing it delicately and calmly.

The demon wiped the blood off of her gloves with a reminiscent smile, "I wish I could have killed him."

I took a deep breath, trying to slow my heartbeat. Her voice caught me off guard for a moment as I snapped to look at her but she didn't even react. I cleared my throat and asked, "why didn't you? I don't see a demon showing mercy to an already hellbound soul often."

Justice waved it off as she leaned back to place her feet on the dash again. She mentioned with a smirk, "I don't want to risk messing with Death's timetable."

"Whose timetable?"

Justice looked at me in shock as she lowered her sunglasses, "you don't know Death? Wow, humans have really fallen out of the loop." She tilted her head as she studied me without seeing me. Before I could answer, she placed a hand on my shoulder. I jumped as she hushed me softly. She reached down and lifted my sandwich I had saved from earlier. I took it gratefully and began unwrapping it as she commanded, "eat, it'll help get you breathing and to give you something to do. First time realizing you could have died?"

I nodded as I took a bite, wolfing it down for a moment. I leaned back, forcing myself to relax as I closed my eyes. I answered her after a moment, "yeah, I've never been in a fight before. If you hadn't been here... I don't know what I would have done. I don't have any demon powers, I'm just dressed as one."

Justice reached her hands up with a playful smirk as she grabbed both of her horns, "except you don't have these puppies or a tail."

I couldn't help but let out a soft smile at her remark. I looked up to her as she softly jabbed my shoulder, "don't get too gloomy on me, man. Sure, we got into a little bit of a scrape but it wasn't very serious. It would take at least a few more guys to have made it an even fight."

I grinned at her, "I'm just glad that Lucifer convinced me to bring you along."

Justice shrugged her shoulders as she showed her teeth through her joyous smile. She put her hands behind her head as she relaxed, "fighting is in my blood. To be honest, I've been looking for a bit of an outlet recently so, if anything, thank you."

I put the keys into the ignition and turned it, hearing the engine cough before coming to life. Justice tapped the dash and pet it as if it were a dog, giving it compliments on how she was proud of it. We began pulling out of the parking lot as I spoke sincerely, "with all due respect, Justice, _thank you_."

The demon looked over softly at me and exhaled slowly. She let out a soft, "you're welcome, Vandrem." Her voice kept its soothing tone as if sensing my need to return to the safety of our house, "let's get heading back. You'll get a chance to relax and be with Modeus a while."

I looked to the demon as she didn't even bother turning to me as she smiled. I just laughed softly, unsure of how to respond and not wanting to explain how badly I wanted that chance right now.

I looked ahead, studying the road before I fell into my thoughts. I slowly began drifting into images of the lustful demon waiting for me back home. I could imagine her wrapped up in the towel I'd given her as she just hugged it for warmth. I thought of hugging her after the events of this morning and it warmed my heart.

_I'm coming home, Modeus._


	7. Human Mortality Ft. Justice (Scrapped Ch. 6 Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is essentially an alternate ending to chapter 6. This was the original ending I planned but I had a lot of trouble incorporating it and keeping the atmosphere I wanted. It, however, does serve as a plot device; that, and I couldn't stop myself from getting philosophical. I enjoyed writing it and I wanted to share it regardless. 
> 
> Officially, this is not the ending to Chapter 6 and was scrapped.
> 
> Unofficially, if you liked it better and think the atmosphere flows well, then you're free to decide which ending was better because I am torn between them.
> 
> Warning: if you don't like to hear talk about death or human mortality, just skip this.

_After having stepped into the van after the fight:_

I shook my head and retorted, "would that even make a difference?! He would have attacked me either way. The way he was talking... he wanted to send us _back_ to Hell. To do that doesn't he have to-"

"Don't think about it that way."

"But-"

"I said _don't_ ," Justice hissed as she glared at me, shocking the message into my brain. She nodded her head down to the sandwich and I tenderly took a bite out of it, my fear of her rising slightly. I took a moment to remember she was a friend as she leaned back and took off her sunglasses.

She looked over directly to me, letting me see the emotion through her eyes. "Look, it's not easy to hear but it's simply the truth. You could have died, Vandrem. Right here and right now or a week ago. Maybe you'll die a year into the future but no matter what you _will_ die. The only thing that changes for each individual is when."

I listened intently, finding it helped not to think of my overwhelming fear from earlier. Justice continued, "it's not something you can expect or to prepare for. It just happens and it can happen at any time. Right here, right as you sit there, you could have a big ole blood clot sitting in your brain. One little conk or even a damned sneeze and it could burst a blood vessel and kill you instantly."

I listened in terror, imagining what she was saying. However, I saw her fearless eyes and I knew the story would have a moral behind it. She straightened her back slightly as she asked, "so what does one little moment of being threatened with death compare to when merely existing means to be threatened with death every single second? You can't focus on those moments, on the ones that scare you; otherwise, you'll never escape the thoughts. It's just a fear, a phobia that you can embrace. I'm not saying it's easy and I'm not saying it's a bad thing to fear death; I know all too well how scary it can feel. I guess what I'm trying to say is: in the grand scale of human mortality, that one scare is minuscule."

I looked at her in thought as I nibbled on the sandwich. I remembered the seething hatred in the man's eyes as he called me Lucifer.

"Death isn't so bad. It's the aftermath you should be more afraid of; you'd never get to see Modeus again for an eternity if you go to heaven."

That sentence snapped me to attention as Justice glared at me with a blank expression. My eyes softened at the thought of her as I pictured the demon waiting for me back at home. If I had died here, I wouldn't ever get to see her again. Not even in the afterlife. I slowly realized what Justice had been explaining as I looked to her. My expression hardened yet my eyes softened as I decided that I would embrace my life for as long as possible, if not for myself, but for Modeus. The woman was as attached to me as I was to her and I had left the house without even a goodbye to her. She'd be heartbroken, devastated. Every single lesson I taught her of love would be lost and that's what hurt me most. There was no way I could let that happen to her.

Justice smirked softly as she whispered, "there's the Vandrem I know."

I nodded slowly, "Modeus is worth fighting for." I grinned as I continued, "I'm here to stay."

Justice nodded to me, "not many people see it as quick as you. You can't just accept death the first moment it is thrust at you."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I twisted the empty wrapping into a ball and squeezed tightly, letting my emotions run smoothly for a moment. I let them all flow through me as I dealt with them rationally and logically, using Justice's ideas. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes, dropping the paper into an empty cup holder. Justice smiled softly at me as she made sure I was alright. I had a feeling I wasn't the first person she consoled like this. Justice quickly grew her natural smile and began cracking jokes and one-liners as usual.

The woman always managed to cheer me up as we pulled out of the parking lot and began our return.

_I'm coming home, Modeus._


	8. Homecoming

I let out a sigh of relief as I parked into the driveway back at the house. It was nice to finally be back as my anxiety began to lower. However, I had no idea of what kind of pandemonia was going on inside, if any.

Justice and I both exited the vehicle and made our way to the front door. The blind woman needed a bit of guidance, almost tripping on the stairs when I didn't call them out correctly.

I opened the door for Justice, "demons first."

She just smirked and strode in, stopping in the centre of the room to remove her shoes.

Helltaker may not care as much as I do, but I make sure that no one wears their shoes inside the house. The amount of tracked mud was mind-boggling and it only got worse whenever Cerberus explored the backyard to release some of her pent up excitement.

Either way, Justice followed the rules as I shut the door. As soon as it clicked shut I heard a shout from outside the foyer, "they're home!"

Immediately, three girls slid around the corner full-tilt, barely able to control their speed as they slid along the hardwood. Cerberus dashed towards us as Justice opened her arms widely.

The ex-prosecutor accepted her fate with a grin as all three girls tackled her out of pure excitement, shoving themselves and Justice straight to the ground in front of me. Justice couldn't help but laugh as Cerberus began assaulting her with questions, all three girls speaking over each other.

I removed my shoes and carefully stepped over them with my lamp. I asked, "you got this?"

Justice gave me a thumbs-up as she began struggling to get up, talking to Cerberus with a glowing smile.

I stepped out into the foyer, leaving Justice to her fate of cuteness.

I saw several of the demons eating the chocolate pancakes that Lucifer and Helltaker had been working on. I saw the large man holding a plate of them, going around.

To my surprise, a body jumped in front of me. I stopped in my tracks and gently laid down the lamp beside the stairs. I looked down at Modeus as she held onto her book. She put it behind her as her wrists rested on her tailbone. I noticed Malina sitting off to the side as she watched us casually.

Modeus hailed me with questions and I could hear the worry in her voice, "where'd you go so suddenly? Are you okay? Why'd you go out? Did you get everything you need? What about-!"

This was a sight for sore eyes. After all the action of today and being scared for my life at one moment, Modeus was exactly what I needed. The softness of her figure as well as her naturally demure attitude always lifted my spirits. I couldn't help but just smile at her as she sputtered out question after question.

I didn't answer as I stepped forward to her and cut off the worried demon. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her in close. I spoke softly, unsure if I was trying to calm her or more so myself.

"Hey," the word was drawn out as I felt myself relax immediately.

I could feel the heat of her blush as she froze. After a second, she unravelled her hands and laid them on my back and squeezed me tight.

"Hey," she responded with a soft tone.

I spoke soothingly, "I'm perfectly alright. I had Justice with me. I thought she'd be nice company as I got us a new lamp."

We slowly backed apart and she looked into my eyes. I asked, "how was the shower?"

She blushed slightly and turned her head to the left, brushing her hair behind her right ear. "Refreshing. Thank you for the towel... it was very thoughtful."

As she looked at me, I couldn't help but fall into her eyes for a moment. I smiled, "it was the least I could do."

I broke out of the trance as she moved, tilting onto her toes as she planted a kiss on my cheek. She lowered herself as a bright red blush erupted across her face; I knew a similar blush was filtering into my own countenance. I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly as she spoke delicately, resting her hands behind her again, "no, the least you could have done was nothing."

"Yoooo just _fuck_ already," Zdrada called out from across the room. She earned herself a rough punch in the shoulder from Malina. I felt the heat on my cheeks as a couple of the hearts above Modeus' head began to spark with flames.

I didn't know how to speak as Helltaker strode up to us. He stated bluntly, "pancakes."

I sighed, "thank God."

I heard a sharp _ahem_ from behind Helltaker as Lucifer squinted at me. I corrected myself, "thank Lucifer." She nodded to me and strode back into the kitchen as she removed her apron. Modeus and I both took a pancake.

Justice had managed to escape Cerberus, although the girls followed her every step. She came up alongside us as she grabbed a pancake with a quick, "you have no idea how badly I've wanted this all day."

Helltaker was about to respond but Justice spoke first as she glanced behind him to see Lucifer walking up to us. She had her hands clasped together with a proud smile, "what does everyone think of the pan... cakes..." Her eyes centred on Justice with surprise. They narrowed as she asked, "don't tell me you started a fight."

Justice just smirked as Cerberus held herself in excitement to hear about the stories. The demon replied, "actually, I didn't start it this time. There was this demon hunter and he mistook Vandrem for-"

"There was a _what_?! Cerb, over here." Lucifer spoke with shock and what seemed like sudden pain. She called to Cerberus and the girls obeyed, getting behind Lucifer as she shielded them.

Justice let a mote of shock enter her expression before she snuffed it out of existence. "A demon hunter. They had the holy water and all."

What I saw was not what I expected in the slightest. Lucifer tensed up upon Justice's words, her entire body freezing. A thousand-yard stare grew on her as she held her arms out slightly to keep Cerberus firmly and safely behind her. The girls looked confused but they didn't move away, knowing that staying closer would help Lucifer. Her breathing grew shallow for a moment before she blinked a couple of times, realizing all eyes were on her.

The devil quickly tried to push her emotions to the side, only partially succeeding. She shook her head and cleared her throat before turning to Cerberus, "Cerb, go on and help Judgement keep a lookout." She waited for the girls to hesitantly walk away trying to find the chain-wielding demon.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Lucifer turned to Justice and demanded, "report. Were you followed?"

Justice shrugged and stepped to Lucifer and they both began walking away. I heard her begin explaining the scenario we were put into.

I noticed Modeus move into me, her right shoulder brushing my chest. I instinctively placed my left hand onto her left shoulder, holding her protectively. My blush hadn't died down and I noticed one flame still active over Modeus as Malina stepped over nervously. She clasped her hands together and wrung them. She seemed to be struggling with her words as she glanced at the boxed lamp so I decided to start.

"Don't worry about last night. I forgive you."

Malina froze as she looked up to me. She cleared her throat, "it feels weird hearing something so... angelic... like that."

Modeus looked to me before she glanced back down to Malina. She held her pancake in her left hand and wrapped her right around my torso, holding onto the side of my chest. Malina noticed it as Modeus whispered, "I forgive you too."

Malina wiped one of her eyes as she whispered, "I seriously thought you were going to cry because he had hurt you, not because he was comforting you..."

Modeus shook her head, "no not in the slightest! Is that why you were so suspicious? You saw a vision of last night?"

Malina nodded sullenly, "the first time I saw you two together, yeah."

I blinked a couple of times in confusion, "a vision?"

They both looked at me and Malina just frowned with her usual sour face, "I see no one told you, typical. My power blah blah blah I can see the future. Why do you think I play turn-based strategies so much?"

My mind froze as I processed it. _The future?_ After a moment I asked in shock, "what? How does that even..."

"...work?" Malina finished my sentence for me. She put a hand on her hip as she tilted to the side with a deep frown, "honestly I don't even know. It's random, completely and utterly, as well as being cryptic as all Hell. So things like last night tend to happen... well... a lot. I hadn't gotten a vision that intense in over a year and the feeling it gives beforehand is a _bitch_ and the week-long headache it gives after is even worse." Her fingers rubbed her temples gently as she closed her eyes, trying to relax a little.

I fell into thought, trying to comprehend the potential of such a gift. There were limitless exploits she could pursue but it feels more like a curse for her. Plus she has no way to control it and the omens are usually cryptic, which doesn't help. This was very fascinating.

Modeus sensed I was busy in thought and smiled to Malina, "it's perfectly alright, we all make mistakes."

Malina nodded and composed herself, "yeah... you're right." She shook her head and let herself grin a little as she whispered, "although the suit definitely gave Modeus time to look at you whi-"

"Hey! Shut up!" Modeus blurted out as she darted forward, covering Malina's mouth with one hand. She blushed intensely as she kept her hand firmly planted over her friend's mouth. She held the pancake with her other hand as she blurted out awkwardly, "I wasn't looking!" She looked down for a moment, "at the least, I didn't try to..."

Malina looked to her in surprise. She didn't speak as Modeus nervously retracted her hand and gripped the pancake with both hands. She nibbled on it as she spoke with Malina but honestly, her words didn't reach my ears. I was completely drawn in by her gorgeous looks as she stood with her knees pointed inwards. Her hands delicately picked at the pancake and she was looking away, her heart-shaped irises distracted.

Modeus' ashen hair bobbed softly as her feet stayed still, ever so slightly on her toes. However, what drew my eyes in and completely distracted me was the soft clicking of her hips side to side as she leaned slightly forward. It was so adorable, cute, and her bouncing hips made it sexy. I couldn't take my eyes off her curves for a moment as I studied her thighs and hips.

Suddenly she stopped, her back straightening and her tail jerking upwards before freezing. I forced my eyes away, which was easier now as the movement ceased, to see Modeus staring at me as she covered her face delicately, peeking over her partially-eaten pancake. I could tell she had a wide smile despite not seeing it as her face shone beet-red. A few of her hearts ignited into a flame almost instantly.

I realized she'd caught me and it worsened as Malina, who'd been in the middle of a sentence, stopped in confusion as she looked at Modeus. Her eyes glanced up to the hearts. To my surprise, Modeus began slowly shifting her hips side to side again, trying to drag my attention back down. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look away awkwardly. Malina, however, looked down and saw the gentle motion. She looked up to me in surprise. My blush was so strong that I thought it'd burn my skin. I took a bite of the pancake and started backing up.

I made my way to the stairs awkwardly before they could question me as I stammered through a half-full mouth, "oh I uh I should go and do the uh... the laundry! I hear the machine going and I should probably you know... yeah..."

I turned around with a flustered expression and burning cheeks as I took my first step up, feeling a few gazes on my back. I passed Azazel on her way down as she spoke innocently, "I don't hear the machine."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I took another bite of the pancake and refused to meet her eyes.

I heard a bit of laughter, undoubtedly because of me, as I turned around the corner of the stairs and out of eyesight. I let out a sigh and wiped my eyes, not knowing what had gotten into me. I cooled myself and took a deep breath.

I shook my head and pushed off the wall, "laundry? Really?" I sighed as a thought occurred to me and I spoke aloud, "and I forgot the damned lamp."

"You probably could have done better, I'll admit it." I looked and jumped in a mix of surprise and fear as Pandemonica spoke to me. She was sitting in the armchair as she looked over tiredly and adjusted her glasses.

I cleared my throat as I stepped closer, "I swear I didn't mean to stare I just-"

Pandemonica just waved it off, "oh I know, everyone knows. You really don't hide things very well. You and Modeus are very alike in that sense."

I blushed and stuffed another bite into my mouth to avoid having to answer. Pandemonica noticed and went back to the book she was reading. I raised an eyebrow as I realized it was a dictionary. I got curious and stepped closer to her, reading the word _love_ on her notepad with several definitions under it, with many others crossed out. Within seconds, the demon turned over her notepad and glared at me, "don't you have laundry to be doing?"

I nodded to her and turned around quickly, not wanting to accidentally unleash her sadistic side as I went across the room to sit on the loveseat.

I sighed with relief as I cooled my nerves, pulling out my phone to browse for a bit.

It was nice to relax, I never got many chances to. However, it wasn't long until Pandemonica stood up and went downstairs as I swallowed the last bit of my pancake. To my surprise, Modeus rose from the stairs and they passed each other wordlessly.

She strode over to me and I swear she was emphasizing her hips now as she strode happily. I tried not to look but my eyes strayed once in a while as she stopped in front of me. She held her book in front of her chest, pushing against her breasts slightly as she asked delicately, "have room for one more?"

I nodded nervously to her as she sat down beside me. I slid down slightly to lie down comfortably in it as she followed suit. I was surprised to see her take the blanket and spread it over both of us. I unbuttoned my jacket to sit more comfortably and Modeus couldn't help herself but just watch.

She blushed as she naturally followed suit, unbuttoning her blazer and showing off her red sweatshirt. She blushed and her lust ignited for a second. I forced my eyes away from the curves of her chest and looked into her pupils. She took a little longer to avert her gaze, her eyes glancing once in a while a little lower than I expected.

Eventually, she met my eyes and I placed my left hand onto her chin. It helped her keep her eyes on mine as I whispered, "I'm sorry, I don't know what had gotten into me."

Modeus grinned, "don't you dare apologize." I blinked a couple of times in surprise as she sank into my hand thankfully. I was surprised to see one of her hearts extinguish its fire as it shone bright with love instead. She continued as she opened her eyes gently, "as like most things about you... it was different. The lust you felt wasn't just lust."

I blinked a couple of times in confusion as I asked, "how wasn't it just lust?"

Modeus whispered, "it was like it was fuelled by something... by love. You said it yourself, you struggle to lust without love and I'm first the girl here you've felt lust for..."

I smiled softly at her, seeing her reasoning. I leaned in, surprising her with a passionate kiss. She surprised me as her body rolled into me, one of her legs lifting over mine as she straddled me. She planted both her hands on my chest, feeling the curves of my pectorals with one hand feeling my abdomen.

I pulled away for a second, opening my eyes to see almost all of her hearts with a soft orange flame. I smirked, waiting a moment for her to open hers.

Modeus frowned slightly as she opened her eyes to look at me. I rubbed her cheek with my hand that still resided on her jaw as I whispered, "I know you're trying to resist the urges. I get it's difficult but don't give up on that goal just yet."

Modeus frowned more as she focused, only managing to extinguish one fire. She looked back to me helplessly as I coaxed her, "here, let me guide you. First of all, shift that leg back, like how we'd laid down here last night."

Modeus blushed as she followed my directions, placing her right leg between my own and her left one against my right. She leaned her torso onto me as she looked into my eyes. I continued, "good, now think of last night, right at the end."

Modeus closed her eyes and focused and I saw all the fires dwindle down ever so slightly. I whispered, "think of what you felt when Malina had dug her nails in. Think of how you felt, the need for love over lust. Remember how you felt when you needed that one special hug. Remember the embrace as you fell into me, letting me catch you physically and emotionally."

Modeus nodded along to me, keeping her eyes closed. I studied her hearts, watching as a couple of new ones formed. Interestingly, they formed without any fire and began to siphon from the others. They were almost all out by now, the last heart dwindling. I whispered, "now keep those eyes closed and remember the kiss. Remember the passion, the intensity yet entire lack of lust."

Modeus nodded with a smile at the thought. I smirked as I closed my own eyes now, bringing my head to hers slowly.

Our lips met once again and Modeus jumped ever so slightly. But then she fell into me, not pushing into me as she had earlier. Her entire body relaxed as I held my arms around her. Our lips moved in sync and our tongues danced with each other, darting to and fro. I could feel her passion building as well as my own as her hands held onto my neck and jaw.

Right before our passion overflowed, I slowly pulled away, feeling Modeus try to move towards me as she craved more. She stopped herself more easily this time and brought her head back, fluttering her eyes open. She smiled happily as she looked into my eyes. Her eyes lifted up, seeing not a single flame, only gentle glows, from her hearts. Her pride soared as she smiled brighter and brighter.

I placed both my hands onto her back and I spoke smoothly to her, "how was that?"

She buried her face into my chest as I let out a soft giggle, "a dream come true."

I held onto her tightly as I whispered, "I'm proud of you."

She looked up to me with a smile, "and I'm proud of you. I would never have _ever_ been able to do that."

I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead whispering, "love makes the impossible come true."

"It really does," the woman whispered into my chest. She surprised me with her words, "I think I love you, Vandrem."

I choked on my words for a second as I looked down at her. She looked so peaceful and happy as if nothing bad could ever happen. I made a decision as my heart glowed, "I think I love you too, Modeus."

She looked up to me with a smile, "does this mean we are dating?"

Modeus was looking into my eyes expectantly as I racked my brain trying to figure out what exactly to say. I cleared my throat and shifted slightly, "I didn't know if demons did that kind of thing with exclusivity."

Modeus tilted her head questioningly to me. I cleared my throat and continued, "dating, in my case, means being exclusive to your partner. Meaning you don't flirt, kiss, love, or lust meaningfully with others."

Modeus leaned her head back down disappointedly, "but my job is to punish others with lust."

I rubbed her back and spoke soothingly, "we don't have to worry about that yet and I understand it either way. If you'd be okay with it, I would enjoy it if we officially began dating."

Modeus looked back up excitedly, "really?!" I nodded to her and she let out an excited squeal before covering her mouth with a blush.

The woman buried her head into my chest and I held her close as my own pride soared. This isn't nearly what I had expected when Helltaker had come to me with the idea of a harem full of demon girls.

However, the more events that transpired, the more I began to love this harem more every second.

We stayed like that for a few minutes before she nervously grabbed her book off a side table asking, "is it okay if I do some reading?"

I brushed my hand into her hair as I softly whispered, "of course."

Modeus smiled happily as she shifted, her right arm reaching to the side table. I lifted my arms slightly, that laid on her lower back, and they trailed along her body. I looked over as she grabbed her book with one last movement.

Modeus moved back to her original position of lying half on her side and half on top of me. She let her leg sink back in between mine and she opened her book.

I pulled out my phone to distract myself from her figure as she leaned into me. I soon found myself being lost within the internet while in her warm embrace.

We stayed like that for about two hours with Modeus reading her book and me browsing the web. She tended to react visibly to parts of it, with many sending shivers down her body or casting a blush onto her.

Our bodies were still pressed together as she breathed gently. I looked down at her as she shifted and I noticed her eyes were shut.

Modeus was asleep.

I froze in joy, not knowing exactly what to do. However, it came to me smoothly as I reached up with my left hand and grabbed her book. I set it aside tenderly and smiled as her hand flattened itself against my side. I took a deep breath and she shifted with a couple of mellifluous grunts. She lay flat on top of me, her chest pressed against mine. Her right hand moved under my left shoulder, pulling her close with her left hand mirroring. There was a soft pressure on my left side as her tail pressed itself flat against me as if I were a trellis and it was a strawberry vine.

Her eyes were closed as she snored ever so softly. I smiled at her as I wrapped my left arm around her completely. I let my right hand rest on her head lightly, keeping gentle protective pressure on her body. I could see a faint smile on her lips as hearts slowly began appearing over time.

Akin to a watchful guardian, I looked over her. I felt more protective than ever before as I held onto the gentle relatively innocent woman.

I felt myself beginning to drift asleep when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. There had been several people that had come up over time, but none while Modeus slept. I heard Lucifer's voice as she spoke to someone. I winced, hoping Modeus wouldn't wake as I lifted my right hand straight up. I waved, making sure not to move suddenly, so Lucifer and whoever she was with would see. I heard her stop talking asking, "yes, what is it?"

I didn't want to talk, just in case. I panicked and defaulted to my basic knowledge of sign language. I could see them now as I signed the word silence to her and the woman I now recognized as Malina.

Lucifer frowned as they strode over, "how _dare_ you ask for me to- _oh!"_ The devil covered her mouth when she saw us and why I'd called for silence. Malina followed suit, her eyes softening as they looked over Modeus. I placed my right hand onto my chin, signing _thank you._ I replaced my hand on Modeus' head and snuggled back into her instinctively. I let my eyes close, expecting the two to keep walking. However, I wasn't expecting the blanket to be pulled further around us softly. I blinked my eyes open lazily as I looked to Lucifer, her fingers dragging the layer of fuzz. She let it drop around me and Modeus' shoulders seeing how close to sleep I was.

I watched her stand up and look proudly at us with her hands balled up at her chest.

Lucifer whispered aside Malina, "aren't they adorable?"

Malina crossed her arms in silence, but her eyes nor her lack of words disagreed. I nodded and smiled thankfully as I looked back to Modeus, nuzzling her skull for just a second. I was pleased to see another heart form as she nuzzled into my chest, her hands squeezing momentarily. I let my eyes fall closed as I heard footsteps fading away.

I didn't dream but it felt like I'd slept an entire night within an hour as I subconsciously realized I was awake.

I noticed immediately the change in light, the windows letting in shadows rather than light. I heard a bell softly ringing down the stairs and I lifted my head drowsily. I turned slightly and heard a soft cry of objection.

Looking down, a drowsy Modeus perked her head up from under the blanket. She looked around, her hair a complete mess. Gazing at her adorable expression, it felt like I'd known her for years. I felt like I could trust this demon with my life and I would never regret it.

I smiled at her as I untangled it from her horns. She looked up to me with a gleeful smile as she hugged me timidly. I whispered, "I think dinner is ready."

We both heard the bell dinging yet again and Modeus let out a small sigh. I consoled her as I shifted, "we both need food though, don't we?"

Modeus didn't want to go, but she nodded reluctantly. We sat up slowly, getting our bearings after we woke. I noticed it was about an hour that I slept which is rather nice, I thought it was longer but I didn't complain. I stood up, holding out my hand for Modeus. She took it gratefully, unable to stop a heart from forming as she stood to her feet. She stumbled for a second and grabbed onto my arm for security. A blush erupted over her face as she realized and let go. I smiled softly at her, "you can hold onto me whenever you want, darling."

Now it was my turn to blush as I realized what I'd said. Modeus couldn't help herself as she clung to my arm as we strode to the stairs. Most of the demons had begun eating already without us as Zdrada laughed, "Modeus you look like you just woke up! Forgot to brush your hair?"

Modeus just frowned at the woman, too groggy to respond as she slid into her seat at the table. Instead, Lucifer responded, "Zdrada, do leave dear Modeus and Vandrem alone."

Zdrada looked around asking, "Modeus _and_ Vandrem?" Her eyes settled on me and she froze. A couple of seconds later, the demon began laughing. I looked up and tried to fix my hair but I doubted it did much.

I rolled my eyes and spoke, "yeah yeah get it out of your system," as I strode into the kitchen. Within a couple of minutes, I walked out with two steaming coffees. One was for myself but the other was destined otherwise.

The aroma lit up Modeus' eyes as I set it in front of her. She happily turned to me, planting a small kiss onto my cheek. She drew back and I looked down at her lovingly. I stood up and took a sip of my own. I lowered the mug grinning, my pride soaring.

I sat down as everyone dug into their respective plates. I made sure to get Modeus some of the dumplings before Cerberus found them. We all spoke casually, not noting anything of much importance. Malina drunk as usual. Cerberus couldn't help herself from tossing an oddity of food once in a while as she devoured anything in sight. I decided to stay out of the conversation, focusing on my food happily. Many of them drank as Malina passed around a couple of bottles, especially Helltaker who I noticed had a couple of new bandages wrapped around his shoulder under his suit jacket.

Curiously, Modeus passed on drinking and I couldn't help but be more attracted to her as I studied her. The woman sat with one leg folded under her as she gripped the coffee with both hands, sipping it with intent. Each swallow, she closed her eyes in thankfulness and smiled while looking around. Her eyes caught mine as I admired her.

The stout woman blushed and lifted her mug to cover her smile partially. Everyone was beginning to lean back, satisfied with their share of food. Even Cerberus had slowed down considerably.

I put out an offer for everyone, "we've got a hot tub out back if anyone wants to relax."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The Cerberus girls chanted as they rose from their seats. Malina and Zdrada both refused, getting up from the table and leaving.

Justice shrugged, "why not."

I looked to Judgement as she thought for a moment. I asked innocently, "I imagine those gauntlets can be heavy at times. Might be a good chance to let them rest."

Judgement looked at me as she stood up defiantly, "I remove my claws for no one!" She raised one leg and planted it on the chair with a stroke of confidence.

I pressed further as Justice smiled fondly, "not even yourself?"

Judgement's confidence faltered as she looked down for a moment. However, it strode back just as quickly as it disappeared. Justice cut her off before she could speak, "you know... a proud warrior admits their faults."

The warrior's head snapped towards Justice as she whispered hushed, "but... what about vigilance and preparation for war at any time?"

Justice waved it off, "if you ask me, that high prosecutor's oath is a bunch of bullshit made to empower you. No one has more power than you except for Lucifer."

We all looked over to the devil as she dabbed her mouth delicately with a cloth, not listening to the conversation or at the least not showing that she cared.

Judgement frowned and sat back down, a mote of thankfulness yet fear in her expression, "alright... I'll join the hot tub."

I wasn't surprised that Modeus would be joining as I looked to her. Helltaker refused, offering to help clean and gesturing to Malina, "we have a rematch planned for tonight."

Malina, who was already on her way up the stairs, smirked, "oh you are _so_ on."

Lucifer frowned, catching up on the events as she shook her head, "not this time. Maybe the next..." she drifted off as she glanced at Helltaker while he gathered his plate and strode towards the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows in surprise to her but she avoided my gaze purposefully. After a moment, she rose and followed the Taker to the kitchen without a word.

Azazel nervously responded, "I'm afraid I wouldn't handle the heat very well."

I respected her decision as she rose and flopped onto the couch happily, wanting to let the food in her stomach settle.

Pandemonica adjusted her glasses as she spoke drowsily, "I think I'd just rather have my dessert if that's alright with you."

I stood up gently and clapped my hands together, "is it settled then?"

Cerberus clasped together, hugging each other excitedly, "shall we?"

Unsure of what they were speaking of, I glanced awkwardly to Modeus. I knew she was closer to the Cerberus girls than the other demons, with the exception of Lucifer, as she spoke calmly to them, "do you know your task?"

Cerberus nodded several times, "swimwear! Swimwear! Swimwear!" It was odd hearing the girls chant the word as if they were part of a cult.

Modeus nodded to them and smiled with a soft, "of course then, **fetch**."

The word felt like it had a wave of power behind it as Cerberus' eyes flashed a deeper shade of red. Her excitement grew tenfold as their entire bodies tensed in preparation.

They looked at each other excitedly before immediately bolting away, directly towards the nearest wall. I was about to call out to them so that they didn't knock any of our paintings over before I saw it.

The girls hit the wall as they sprinted, but they didn't collide with it. Instead, they looked as if the wall swallowed them as an oval of demonic runes flashed on the wall for a few seconds. The girls disappeared out of sight and the runes faded away harmlessly, leaving me dumbstruck staring at an empty wall.

Pandemonica glanced from the space and back to me, "what? She is Cerberus you know... the protector and gatekeeper of Hell?" I tilted my head at her, still comprehending what I just witnessed. Pandemonica flipped open her notes and read them as she continued, "her codeword for venturing into and out of the underworld is _fetch_. She's unable to say the word herself as she made a deal with Lucifer that forbids her from ever letting herself travel without permission from another demon. Although..." Pandemonica tapped her notes as she looked over to the kitchen, "no one knows what Lucifer gave Cerberus in return for the deal."

Justice chuckled, "I bet Lucifer just gave the poor girl a feast and they just blindly accepted."

Pandemonica, glared at the blind woman, "that's just conjecture. No one knows for sure. The only thing we do know is that after cementing the deal, due to the pure strength of the pact, Cerberus fell into a deep sleep for weeks and no demon was allowed to even see her in case they woke her up and disrupted the deal."

I noticed Modeus looking down at her empty mug, a deep frown and sudden sadness within her. It was as if she were looking past the mug, deep within her own mind.

I looked back to Pandemonica as she glanced unamused at Justice as she grinned widely, "I still think it was the feast."

Pandemonica scowled, "then how does that explain the sleep?"

The blind woman flashed her friend a pair of finger guns, "turkey."

Pandemonica rolled her eyes as she looked to me with a plead, "can I _please_ get my dessert?"

I nodded to her before she had a reason to hurt me. I placed a hand on Modeus' shoulder, noticing a couple of her hearts deflating, "are you alright?"

Modeus jumped out of thought and glanced up to me as she stammered. She stopped herself and looked back at the wall. I noticed a small red rose appear on the side of her throat, threatening a painful thorn as Modeus undoubtedly came close to an infraction. She ended up speaking, "I just don't like sending Cerberus away so often. I always worry that..." the rose began glowing a deep red, a thorn beginning to manifest like a snake preparing to strike. It faded away instantly without harming the woman as she muttered and closed her eyes, "... about the poor girl getting lost."

I smiled to her, "I bet Cerberus knows her way around. There's no way she'll get lost. She's safe, don't worry."

Modeus nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She looked up to me with a smile, her eyes failing to show the verisimilitude that her smile did, "yeah, you're probably right."

I could tell she was still distracted so I leaned down to her. I placed a gentle kiss on the side of her cheek. She looked to me as her blush ignited for a moment and her smile turned genuine as her eyes softened. I rubbed her shoulder for a moment and she took a deep breath, giving me a slight nod afterwards.

Justice clapped her hands and stood up with a smile shouting, "alright! It's hot tub time!"

I agreed as I stepped away to go get Pandemonica her latte. What I didn't expect was to see Justice slowly turn to Modeus as the ex-prosecutor's smile slowly dropped, replaced by a neutral frown. Her smile returned ever so slightly when Modeus replied with a sigh, "yes, the hot tub will be nice."

Something had just happened, something I wasn't entirely sure of the importance it held.

_Who knew demons could be so complicated?_


	9. Heated Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know I've spam posted the last few chapters up to this point. This isn't the only platform I've released on and I decided to catch up and post all the chapters. Posts won't be too often, biweekly or something. 
> 
> Thank you for the support and I hope you're all enjoying the story! 
> 
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment if you do like any specific parts :)

It wasn't long until Cerberus returned, possibly about fifteen minutes of travel time total.

They'd stayed with Lucifer for now, after handing out piles of clothes, as she spoke to them, glancing at me once in a while through the sliding glass door.

I was standing outside a sliding glass door that let me see into the dining room across the house. The hot tub was on the other side of the kitchen wall, hiding from any neighbour's view while being convenient for retreating back indoors quickly if need be. No one knows when it could start raining or suddenly grow chilly with the night air. The sun was setting and doused the clouds with twisting orange and red streaks.

I'd already changed into a pair of plain solid coloured swim trunks and was outside getting the hot tub prepared. I turned on the jets to make sure they worked. As I let the water begin heating, Justice and Judgement both walked outside, the latter leading the former. Justice was wearing a black bikini, albeit I was expecting red. I wasn't too surprised to see her defined abdomen as well as her entire toned upper body. Judgement had muscle too, but she always showed it and I was practically used to her appearance whereas Justice was only showing herself now for the first time. With each movement, Justice's muscles tensed and relaxed intermittently, making me feel sorry for the demon hunter she'd beaten to the ground earlier.

I noticed Judgement hadn't changed at all as they both stepped up to the hot tub. Judgement slashed at the water timidly, looking up to me, "is it boiling?!"

Justice heard her and immediately began leaning forward, attempting to delve her hands into the water with a wide grin.

Judgement slapped her hands away with an annoyed expression as she glanced back at me accusingly. I simply scoffed and dove my hand under the water as Judgement looked like she was ready to pounce on me if we heard sizzling. I pulled my hand out and she studied it. I told her calmly, "it's just the jets underneath." I turned off the jets to prove it to her.

Unsurprisingly, Judgement let out a sigh of relief. She let herself relax slightly, not keeping her back straight constantly or pushing her chest out. The demon held her arms over her stomach and clutched herself as Justice put a hand overtop her forearms. The blind demon asked, "you sure you're up for this? I know it can be difficult for you."

"You know I've never been good at all this emotion stuff."

"Good or bad," Justice spoke as she consoled Judgement as if she were her child more than a protegee, "you still have them. It's not something to avoid."

"Doesn't mean I don't hate them," Judgement muttered as Cerberus ran out into the backyard while Lucifer kept an eye on her from inside. She was dressed more in the colour of bikini, with thin straps over her shoulders, that I was expecting: solid crimson.

She ran excitedly over, skidding to a stop beside the hot tub as the girls looked around. I couldn't imagine what it was like for her to scan her environment from three different angles and still understand the stimuli, yet here she was effortlessly achieving that task.

_Her? They?_

_Honestly I don't even know how to address them._

Suddenly, all three heads turned to me and broke me out of my thoughts. I froze, not knowing what to expect from the three demons. Justice watched in amusement as the girls dashed towards me, surrounding me. Their arms all wrapped around me in a tight embrace as some of the girls looked at the hot tub while the remaining looked at me. Cerberus consistently switched which girls looked at me versus the hot tub as the one hugging my front opened her petite mouth.

"What does it do?!"

I cleared my throat, trying to calm myself. At first, they always scare me with how fast they approach as I subconsciously expect them to be dangerous. However, I was getting used to how they acted and all the cuteness they exuded. "It's just a pool of water..." the girls all looked at me excitedly, urging me to go on as they pulled each others arms tighter around me. I uttered as it began to grow harder to breathe, "it gets hot and it's supposed to be very relaxing."

They all frowned at me as they studied me. The girl in front of me asked, "but you don't seem very relaxed."

Judgement cracked a smile and I just glared at her as Justice rolled her eyes. She took off her sunglasses and laid them down and was about to call out to the girls but a different voice cut her off.

"Cerb, I'd appreciate it if you released my boyfriend."

Cerberus froze and all heads turned to the figure standing in the doorway. I was mesmerized by Modeus' figure as she wore a high waisted bikini, covering her hips perfectly while also wearing a thick and wide strapped bikini top. She placed a hand on her right hip and I couldn't help but just stare as she shifted her weight. Her hip clicked into place as my eyes surveyed her from top to bottom, taking in every curve and exposed piece of skin. It wasn't until my eyes settled on her bright pupils that had already met mine that I realized Cerberus had released me.

The trio was standing to the side embarrassed as they glanced guiltily up to Modeus. She didn't speak to them as she strode forward to me. It wasn't possible to keep my eyes off her hips. I tried to look away awkwardly at times but every time I glanced back, my eyes were magnetically attracted downwards.

Fortunately, I was able to meet her eyes as she came right in front of me, gazing up into my eyes with a bright smile. A few of her hearts had a steady flame as she whispered, "good to know I'm not the only one who can't resist." As she spoke, her eyes drifted downwards as if reading a book while she studied me. She gently outstretched a hand, tracing my chest for a moment before she realized what she was doing.

"I'm sorry... your _boyfriend?!"_ Judgement blurted out. She shut her jaw with an audible click as everyone turned to her except for Justice. The blind demon had her left arm wrapped around her waist, her right elbow resting on her left wrist.

Her right hand held up her chin as she smirked whilst speaking, "took you long enough."

Modeus turned to me and nodded happily. She turned as she stepped to my side, her arm wrapping around my torso and pulling herself close. I reciprocated, my arm wrapping across her back and my hand resting on her hip, pulling her in. She hummed a proud _mhmm!_

I raised my eyebrow as Cerberus clung to herself, slowly increasing the strength of her hug and I thought she'd crush the middle girl as their excitement grew. Suddenly, she burst into action and rushed to Modeus' side, plucking gently at her hand and elbow as well as my hand around her. I'm pretty sure one of the girls sniffed her as another blurted out, "it's like the book!"

Modeus laughed and looked up to me whispering, "I may have done some reading to them while you were gone."

I couldn't help but just smile as I lifted my hand off of Modeus' hip, ruffling one of the girls ears. They all reacted immediately, freezing as their heads moved upwards with closed eyes. Their hands were balled up on their chests as she enjoyed the pat.

I took my hand off and replaced it as the girls all resumed motion.

Before anyone else could speak, Justice shivered as a breeze brushed by. Rushing everyone a little, she let her voice be heard, "I don't know about any of you but I'm getting into the hot tub." She began reaching out, trying to grab the edge of the tub but aimed a little high. She took a large step, confident she wasn't close to it yet but she regretted it immediately.

A loud thump was heard as all heads turned, Cerberus physically wincing and hiding behind me and Modeus. Justice's lips curled inwards and pressed together as she stepped back, lurching forward in pain. She held up one foot and clutched it as Judgement scowled at her while supporting her. The blind demon shouted, "damnit! Who put that hot tub there?!"

Judgement just rolled her eyes as her metal claws steadied her mentor, "I'm pretty sure that's what you'd call _karma_."

Justice slowly lowered her foot as she glared daggers at her protege. Before any more words could be exchanged I offered with an outstretched hand gesturing to the tub, "how about we all get in? Perhaps a little more calmly this time."

The blind demon slowly smiled and just shrugged off the pain from her toes. She let Judgement guide her around the stone steps that led up to the tub. We all got beside it and they all watched me enter first, Judgement announcing it aloud for Justice who watched curiously. Steam rolled off the still water in thin trails and the warm sensation was immediately soothing to my entire lower body. I turned back as Modeus cupped her hands in front of her nervously, her knees pointing inwards.

I grinned, holding my hand up to her and comforted, "it's safe, nothing to worry about."

She looked up to Judgement as the warrior tenderly dipped a foot in. After a moment of testing, the grey demon sat on the edge of the tub with her legs dipping into the water. She watched Modeus and I, now studying our movements as she now learned about our relationship.

Modeus took her lead and looked to my hand. She stepped forward gently, placing her fingertips on my own. Her hand slid forward as she stepped, her fingers reaching around mine. I held it high for her to support, but more so comfort, as she stepped in, her legs up to her knees submerging quickly. She froze for a moment but the realization of the heat hit her like a wave as her entire body relaxed. The demon let out a sigh as she quickly submerged her legs and sat down within the water beside me, her arms wrapping around my own.

There was a ring of tiled ledges inside the tub that rose halfway up, serving as a convenient seat for all of us as I looked to the other demons.

Justice, once she found the water and carefully found the stairs, was eager to get in. She didn't seem fearful at all as the water lapped at her toned calves. The demon stepped in and sat down with a smile upon her lips as she closed her eyes happily. I could imagine how nice this must feel for her after the fight earlier.

Cerberus was much like Modeus and was hesitant at first. Two of the girls hung back, hugging each other as one wandered forward tenderly. She got onto her hands and knees, kneeling as she reached a hand down into the water. Despite seeing her friends in the pool, she was still being careful yet curious towards the water. Once she submerged her hand and felt that it was warm not scalding, a bright smile grew.

The first girl practically just let herself fall in, not caring about going under the water for a moment before splashing back to the surface. I laughed for a moment before two more girls slid into the pool, trying to jump in but more so just slipping and falling in. The two submerged as everyone turned away, trying not to get splashed yet failing admirably. The one girl who'd already gotten in helped the other two to the surface. Their long hair floated around them and looked as if it were merging together as the girls huddled close to each other and found a seat. I just shook my head at Cerberus, always entertained by her exploration of the world.

They began messing with their hair, somehow already tangling it together as they moved around excitedly. I looked away from them to Judgement as she asked, "sooo... when did _this_ ," she gestured to Modeus and I, "happen?"

I shrugged and looked at Modeus. She responded for us with a soft smile, "officially, today."

Judgement just frowned, "we've only been here two days. You've never grown attached to any of the others guys you slept with in Hell."

Cerberus' heads all turned to us, their eyebrows raising quickly repeatedly and in succession. I squinted at them and was about to deny it but Modeus acted quicker.

Modeus jerked forward, immediately shouting, "we haven't slept together!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, not having wanted to state it with such intensity. Judgement didn't flinch; she just watched us curiously with a tilted head. Modeus moved back to me, shrinking downwards as she wrapped her arms around my right arm. Her tail caressed my back, twisting around to my left side to pull herself close for safety. She practically whispered, "that's not why I'm with him."

Justice studied us as I cleared my throat, bringing Judgement's eyes to mine. I explained, "it's because of love. The comfort and care that we can provide each other. Not just lust, right?"

There was a soft glow in Modeus' hearts as she nodded nervously, expecting Judgement to be angry in some capacity. However, the demon just smiled uncharacteristically and had a spark of kindness in her eyes. She nodded and responded, "that makes more sense. You two are cute together."

I blinked in surprise, a little shocked at the sudden kindness in Judgement's tone. I didn't realize how deep her facade of confidence ran until now. Even Modeus relaxed and let out a sigh of relief, I guess she didn't know either.

Silence grew for a moment as I pulled Modeus into me, enjoying the soft heat and the soft view of her curves. I could tell she was staring at me once in a while too as flames would occasionally be licking at her hearts.

It wasn't until I heard a wince that I looked back over to Judgement to see her adjusting her metal claws. I was about to ask a question but heard Justice's voice in the place of mine, "you can't get in until you take those off, you know."

Judgement just glared at Justice, "then I won't get in."

Shrugging and placing her hands behind her head as she leaned back with closed eyes, Justice mentioned, "you don't know what you're missing. You're already dressed for the part anyways."

"Still."

Justice sighed and leaned forward, her voice softening, "the water might soothe them, you know. Let yourself have this moment. I know you've got that little voice in your head telling you that you don't deserve it but you absolutely deserve at least one moment to have some you time."

Judgement looked at her in surprise before looking away shamefully, clutching her claws together as she thought. She glanced up to me and Modeus and then to Cerberus, who was now slapping the surface of the water curiously to test the water tension.

I wasn't entirely sure of what they were talking about, but Modeus squeezed my arm and I had a feeling I should let them hash it out without interference.

Justice voiced her protege's thoughts, "no one will be disappointed and you have nothing to be ashamed of. You've been pushing yourself and you haven't enjoyed anyone's company since you've got here. Come on, you can sit beside me."

Judgement sighed and muttered a soft, "alright... alright. I'll do it. But if it's too much..."

"You can put the gauntlets back on immediately."

Judgement let herself smile a little as she glanced to Justice out of the corner of her eye, "maybe I'm just doing this so you'll stop running your mouth."

Justice feigned pain as she put a hand over her forehead while she turned to the side with a gasp. She reached down to place it over her heart as she looked back, "oh! My pride! Whatever will I do?!"

Judgement rolled her eyes but we could all see that she enjoyed Justice's jokes and general attitude. The two seemed close and like they had a deep history together. I held Modeus closer and she pulled in, beginning to become invested in Judgement just the same as I.

The clawed demon wiped her claws together, preparing herself as she stared at them. She reached down, her hands beginning to shake as she gripped her right forearm with her left hand. The demon stopped and glanced to Justice with a mote of fear in her voice, "are you sure about this?" I could hear the shakiness in her voice and the sudden lack of confidence, as if it all had been sucked down a drain.

Justice smiled softly at her and scooched toward her along the small platform under the water. She placed a hand on her protege's knee and whispered soothingly, "in the end, it's your choice. No matter what choice you make, you've got my well-deserved respect."

Judgement watched as her mentor looked in her direction, not expecting anything in particular. Comfort and understanding was all she could see as she took a deep breath. She snivelled and admitted, "I could really use the break..."

Justice nodded slowly, "then let yourself have it."

The demon sitting on the edge of the tub nodded repeatedly, more to herself than anyone else. She slowly gripped her gauntlet, twisting it. We all heard a rush of air, showing the inside of the gauntlets was pressurized or air sealed to keep them on. Judgement immediately winced in pain as she began pulling it off, her fingers slipping out of the black gloves underneath the claws. She grit her teeth as it slowly pulled off, revealing her dark skin underneath.

The glove slipped off at the end, making Judgement wince again as the air rushed onto her skin. She dropped the gauntlet beside her as she lifted her right hand to study it woefully.

All I could see of her hand, no... her entire forearm, was burn scars.

They looked like they'd undergone centuries if not a millenia of healing but they still managed to look fresh in spots. The skin was wrinkled in spots and cracked in others and now her sounds of pain made more sense to me.

I looked up out of my thoughts to see Judgement staring directly at me. I looked away guiltily as she sighed in sorrow. Modeus was looking too, finding it hard to look away as deep sympathy seeped into her expression. She met my gaze solemnly and I knew she was feeling exactly what I was even though I couldn't understand my emotions.

I heard Cerberus turn and stop her movement, listening curiously to Judgement. She knew this was a moment for silence and stayed quiet respectfully as she sensed the shifting atmosphere.

I glanced back cautiously, noticing a thin layer of bandages around her hand that probably helped insulate the friction between the burns and the gloves. Judgement sighed heavily and looked to Justice, "you've always been the storyteller..."

Justice looked down sadly for a moment before she hauled herself out of the pool to sit beside Judgement. She reached out, her hands touching her protege's shoulder and trailing down her arm. She began softly massaging parts of it and removing the bandages, Judgement wincing at first but sighing with relief afterwards. As she did so, Justice began her story.

"It was a long damn time ago, back when I was the High Prosecutor for Hell. I met a younger Judgement who was created to be my successor. I'll admit," Justice smirked at Judgment, "I thought she was a bit of a bitch at first." That comment made Judgement smile softly at her mentor before she continued. "Nonetheless, I had to train her. Well... I kind of enjoyed it."

"Only kind of? Come on," Judgement raised her head high, "I was a natural."

Justice rolled her eyes but admitted, "alright, I really enjoyed training her. She's got a very unique ability with her chains, they gain strength from the sins of those around them. They can even ignite and burn their victim if Judgement chooses. She can melt flesh from bone in seconds if the sinner has a strong enough sin. Very handy for those nasty sinners that think they can escape hell."

Judgement looked down sadly as Justice began helping her to undo the second gauntlet. They took it off together and Justice began her massage again before continuing. "but one day, during her training, there was an accident. She wasn't adept at her ability yet and was practicing with my supervision. There was a prisoner transport outside the hall, they'd just been routinely passing by. One of them managed to escape their shackles and shoved open the door into the training room."

Judgement's eyes closed as she remembered. Justice took a moment to study her before continuing softly, "the man shouted and spat curses at us as if we were the cause of his punishment. He tried to charge at my kind little Judgment and take some kind of ill-fated revenge plan. I intervened and I'm pretty sure I broke one of his legs. Which one was it, Judge?"

Judgement smiled ever so slightly, "it was both of them."

Justice took in a deep breath as she remembered properly, "oh right! But..." her eyes fell into memory, "that's when the damage was done."

Judgement cut her off as she grit her teeth with closed eyes. "It was the stimuli," she muttered as she slumped forward miserably. She opened her eyes and stared through her hands, "I was holding a chain, getting ready to act but I just _couldn't._ He scared me, he was the first sinner I'd ever seen and he was just... screaming; he was screaming at me, screaming at Justice, screaming at his assigned torturers as they chased him. I wanted to act but I froze, I didn't know what to do and he _scared_ me. I got scared and I tried to drop the chain but it didn't do what I wanted and it... i-it..."

Judgement broke off, tears welling in her eyes as Justice hushed her. The blind demon gently pulled her towards her whispering, "hey, it's alright. It was all a mistake and never should have happened, you weren't ready to handle violence and you never should have seen it so soon. _It's not your fault_." Justice hugged Judgement, wrapping her arms around her for a moment.

After a minute and lots of deep breathing, Judgement pulled back. "I-I'm alright... I just... it's difficult."

Justice nodded softly and whispered, "I know. I know you don't get to talk about it often and how it builds pressure on you. I know you'll never ask to talk, but I'm still here for you."

Judgement rubbed her eyes, "I know... I know. I'm trying. I'm really trying..."

Justice smiled kindly, "you're doing an amazing job. You're still the kindest demon I know."

Judgement just scoffed but she still held her smile as Justice gently rubbed her hand. A lot of the pain seems to have subsided or she'd just grown accustomed to it as Justice took in a breath to speak.

"When Judgement let go of the chain, her powers kicked in by accident. The chain wrapped around her hands and wrists, extending down to her for arms like shackles and pulling them together. Then, because of the pure strength of sin from the man, they ignited." Justice looked to Judgement as she took a deep breath, looking at her hands.

She looked up to Justice asking, "can I?"

The blind demon nodded, "absolutely." She wrapped an arm around her protegee who leaned her head onto her mentor's shoulder.

Judgement thanked her silently as she looked over to Modeus and I. We just held each other, listening with anticipation and sympathy for the warrior seated across from us. Cerberus also listened, loving to hear a story no matter how sorrowful. Judgement continued after a deep breath.

"It burned, brighter and hotter than I'd ever seen before. I felt his sins; the pure intensity of them hit me first before I even heard the searing. Then it just burnt. I'm pretty sure I fell to my knees, crying out.. maybe I was just crying. If Justice wasn't there..." the warrior glanced upon her mentor proudly, "... there's a good chance I would have died. She took initiative and ran to me, doing what came first to her mind. Justice shattered the chain, forcing it to release its grip on me after pulling it off had failed. We thought that'd be the end of it until we noticed that it didn't just break, it _shattered_. Like a fragmentation grenade, shards entered my skin and burrowed into my bones." She held up her arms painfully and let us all scan them. "We got a lot of them out, but to this day, they still burn with that same intensity. I can't stop it and I can't control it, I just feel the pain." She lowered her arms and stared at them with nigh-tranquility. "That was centuries ago and I've had lots of time to deal with it. I've gotten used to the pain but sometimes... the rush of memories or threat of danger can be too much."

She faded off and continued to stare at her own arms. Silence fell like a curtain upon a stage. Modeus and I glanced at each other, feeling pity for the poor demon.

It was Cerberus who now spoke, asking quietly, "so... does that mean you'll be joining us in the water? To remedy your soul?"

Judgement just laughed softly as everyone else stayed silent. She nodded to herself as she admitted, "I've come this far. Honestly," she looked around to us with a new shine in her eyes, "it felt very lifting to tell it to.. well... someone. Anyone other than this old hag."

Judgement laughed as Justice slapped the back of her head yet smiled fondly at her. Before silence could bore down upon us again, Justice slipped her legs into the water until it rose to her belly button. She waded over to her previous seat and rested into it so the water rose to her shoulders. Justice looked at Judgement as the woman took a moment to prepare herself. She left her gauntlets beside the pool as she slipped in, the water rising to her stomach.

Judgement held her scarred arms above the water, twisting her body as she waded, refusing to let the water touch her arms yet.

She got beside Justice and slowly leaned down. The water slipped along her skin, lapping at her chest as she sat straight-backed. Modeus squeezed me as she studied Judgement, hoping the water would not prove painful to her. Judgement took a deep breath as she still had her arms raised, parallel to the water surface. She closed her eyes as if in meditation for a moment before slowly lowering her arms.

I think we all collectively let out a sigh of relief as Judgement closed her eyes with a smile as her hands swished under the water.

We all took a moment of silence to enjoy the still, heated, water, knowing how much this moment of peace must mean to Judgement. Considering none of the demons had known what a hot tub was, I don't imagine they had many luxury commodities down in hell. If anything, this is just a vacation for them all.

I broke myself out of my thoughts as Modeus whispered, "I've never known Judgement well, but I never expected her to be hiding such pain behind her confidence."

I nodded to her slowly, glancing back to Judgement as she began talking excitedly with Justice. "She may be a demon, an avatar of pain and misery, but... she seems more human than any other living being." I looked back to Modeus as she tilted her head curiously, thinking over my words. "I'm just glad she's doing a bit better."

Modeus smiled as she leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder with closed eyes. I couldn't help but reciprocate it as I glanced back to the duo across from us. They were making jokes and Judgement waved her arms under the surface of the water, now refusing to lift them out.

I couldn't help but just smile as Cerberus mimicked Judgements motions but quickly got distracted by the waves she created in the water. She quickly began slapping each wave individually, once per girl, and then trying to catch the resonating waves.

It was time we kicked it up a notch. I reached behind me and pressed down on a button as I announced, "now that we're settled...!"

Suddenly, jets turned on all around us and the water began to bubble. Justice jumped in surprise, her hands feeling around frantically before she realized what was happening. Judgement just froze in fear for a moment. However, she couldn't stop an upwards curl from encroaching on the edges of her lips as she softly grazed the bubbles near the surface with her fingertips.

Modeus let out a mellifluous little _ooh!_ I couldn't help but smile to myself as she clung to me. I hadn't even noticed Cerberus just freeze from slapping the water as she looked around, each girl studying a different aspect of the pool. Modeus and I watched as they frantically turned around and began putting their hands over the jets, attempting to stem the flow just for fun. I noticed that she quickly changed tactics and began attempting to jam her fingers into the holes to stop the bubbles.

Judgement had apparently been watching the trio too as she just smiled kindly at them. Justice softly watched over her apprentice as the warrior began sidling towards the distracted girls. Suddenly, Cerberus froze and stared at Judgment as she got within a foot of her. They stared at each other, Judgement stopping awkwardly.

One of the jets sputtered for a second, dragging Cerberus' attention as all three girls slapped a hand over it, the bubbles pushing out around her incessant fingers. Judgement leaned in with a smile as waved her hand over a jet beside the trio. They whipped their heads back as Judgement continued. She slowly cupped her hand, feeling the intensity of the jet up close carefully. She waved a hand through it and let out a giggle.

Suddenly, Judgement just began laughing. She popped her hand over the jet and watched the bubbles seperate around her fingers. Cerberus smiled and giggled alongside her as they shielded her hands behind Judgement's, trying to catch the bubbles. They looked frustratedly at their hands when they tried to raise the bubbles out of the water and Judgement just laughed at their confusion.

It was oddly comforting to see the woman laughing so soon after having looked so defeated. The day before, I was sure she'd rip my spine in half if I'd said just one wrong word. Yet now here she was playing with water jets like a child and I couldn't be prouder. Justice had the same look on her face as she tried to hide a tear that trailed down her cheek and fell into the water--never to be found again.

Modeus shifted into me, watching over the four of the girls as Cerberus moved frantically around Judgement. I couldn't tell which of the girls was laughing more but nonetheless the air lit up with warmth as did our hearts. A bright smile lay upon my lips as I pulled Modeus into me, looking down to her for a moment. She had a motherly smile as she looked softly over them, her care and devotion rising.

We both looked back over wordlessly, letting ourselves enjoy the hot tub in our own way as we all relaxed.

The wind whistled along, lifting the laughter into the darkening sky to let it blossom and amplify.

Judgement was like a new woman to me now, a new personality under her facade of overflowing confidence.

By this point, I'd even like to call her a friend if she'd let me.


End file.
